A HISTORY OF 
MISSOURI 



BY 



EUGENE MORROW VIOLETTE 

II 

PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 
KIRKSVILLE, MISSOURI 




D. C. HEATH k CO., PUBLISHERS 

BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO 






Copyright, 191 8, 
By D. C. Heath & Co. 

2H3 



PRINTED IN U. S. A. 



TO MY WIFE 



PREFACE 

Missouri has had a history of unusual interest. But 
unfortunately Missourians do not know the history of 
their own State as they should. This is due largely to 
the fact that not enough books of a more or less popular 
nature have been written on this subject. At present the 
only books available that cover the whole field of Mis- 
souri history are designed for use as texts in the ele- 
mentary schools of the State, such as those by Rader, 
Williams, and Viles. The more standard works, such as 
those by Carr and Switzler, are either out of date or out 
of print. There are a number of special works deaHng with 
different periods or subjects in Missouri history, but they 
are more or less expensive and hence will never have a very 
wide circulation. Under these circumstances a new manual 
of Missouri history seems to be greatly needed, and it 
is in response to such g. need that this book has been 
written and offered to the reading public. 

The plan of this book departs very widely from that 
which has been generally followed in the writing of state 
histories. Usually a state history relates in chronological 
order the more important events that have happened 
within the borders of the state, whether those events 
were strictly local in character or were of national im- 
port and connection. In this work no space is given to 
things that are strictly local. The effort has been to 
deal with only those topics in Missouri history that 
have significance in the history of the nation. And in 
order that the reader may know just what has been 
considered as the historical background for the topics 
in Missouri history that are dealt with in this book, a 
statement is made at the beginning of each chapter in- 



VI PREFACE 

dicating the subject in our national history that consti- 
tutes the historical setting for that chapter. The reader is 
presumed to be acquainted with the outlines of American 
history before he takes up the reading or the study of 
this book, but if he should feel uncertain as to his knowl- 
edge of American history or should wish to review those 
topics that furnish the background for this work, he will 
find that any of the standard texts in American history 
used in the high schools of the State will give him the 
essential information necessary for the successful use of 
this book. 

Inasmuch as this work is constructed along lines al- 
together different from those that have usually been fol- 
lowed in the writing of state histories, persons who are 
familiar with the other histories of Missouri will find that 
many things are omitted from the present volume which 
they might expect to find. For example, many of the 
governors of the State are not mentioned. But the 
things omitted have made room for other matter that 
has been regarded as of greater historical importance, 
and hence certain topics have been developed more 
fully than they have been heretofore in the manuals of 
Missouri history. 

In constructing this book on this plan, I have hoped 
that it might find a place not only in the Reading Circle 
course but also in the high schools of the State as a book 
of reference in connection with the courses in American 
history. Heretofore the history of Missouri has been 
taught only in the elementary school, as is the case with 
practically all state histories. But the study of state 
history in the elementary school has not proved an unquali- 
fied success, largely because it has been taught there with- 
out its natural setting. It is not likely that state history 
will ever be introduced into the high school as a separate 
subject. The curriculum of the high school is already 
crowded. And even if it were possible to introduce it 
there as a separate subject, it would fail of success as 



PREFACE VII 

it has in the elementary school. There is, therefore, but 
one way of getting state history into the high school, 
and that is by connecting it with the course in American 
history ; and effective connection with the course in 
American history can be secured only by selecting for 
study those topics in state history that have their his- 
torical setting in our national history. 

This method of presenting Missouri history in the high 
school is not altogether untried. In 19 14 I published 
privately a few chapters on the early history of Missouri 
which were intended to be used in connection with the 
course in American history. These were placed in the 
hands of several teachers who were conducting high 
school classes in American history, to see if there were 
any merit in the method. The success which was re- 
ported as a result of this plan of study encouraged me 
to proceed with what I had started out to accomplish. 
This book is the result. In two of the best high schools 
of the State the manuscript of this book has been used 
either in part or as a whole by the teachers of history in 
their classes in American history. They have kindly 
reported that the experiment turned out very satis- 
factorily with them and that they are heartily in favor 
of this method of presenting Missouri history in the high 
school. 

In compiling the references that are to be found at the 
close of each chapter, great care was taken to name only 
those books or articles that are fairly accessible. It 
would have been very easy to have made many of the 
lists several times as long as they are. But if that had 
been done, most of the books mentioned in these 
lengthened lists would have been either out of print 
or very high priced and hence out of the reach of the 
majority of the readers. For these reasons no reference 
is given to such standard works as Switzler's History of 
Missouri. This book is out of print and can be had only 
at second-hand book stores in large cities at a very high 



Vlll PREFACE 

price. The same is true of many other standard works on 
Missouri history. It is beHeved, however, that the titles 
that have been mentioned in the reference Hsts will fur- 
nish the reader with a workable bibliography. 

In preparing this book I have drawn heavily from not 
only the standard works but also the special contri- 
butions that have been made to Missouri history by a 
number of writers in recent years. Fortunately several 
well-trained historical investigators have turned their at- 
tention to Missouri history in the last fifteen years or 
so, and they have brought forth some highly creditable 
productions. Special mention should be made of Houck's 
History of Missouri Down to 182 1, Shoemaker's Missouri's 
Struggle for Statehood, Million's State Aid to Railways, and 
Trexler's Slavery in Missouri. Besides these books and 
monographs a number of very fine articles have appeared 
in recent years in the Missouri Historical Review and the 
Missouri Historical Society Collections that are real con- 
tributions to our knowledge of Missouri history. These 
books and articles have been gleaned very thoroughly. 
No attempt has been made to indicate by footnotes the 
authorities from which material has been dra\vn. The 
footnotes have been used to elaborate upon the matter 
dealt with in the body of the text. But at the end of each 
chapter will be found the list of books and articles that 
have been my chief sources of information, and from which 
the quotations have generally been taken. 

I am greatly indebted to a number of students of 
Missouri history for criticisms and suggestions. I can- 
not mention them all by name, but I must not fail to 
note my special obligation to Judge Walter B. Douglas 
of St. Louis, Professor C. H. McClure of the Warrens- 
burg State Nonnal School, Miss Lucy Simmons of the 
Macon High School, Miss Benson Botts of the Mexico 
High School, Miss Reba Poison of the Muncie (Ind.) 
High School, Mr. F. C. Shoemaker, secretary of the 
State Historical Society, and Mr. William Clark Brecken- 



PREFACE ix 

ridge of St. Louis. The last two mentioned are deserving 
of the highest gratitude on my part. Both have placed 
at my disposal their extensive knowledge of Missouri 
history and have never been too busy to answer my 
inquiries and appeals for assistance. Mr. Breckenridge 
has patiently read every line of the manuscript and has 
offered valuable suggestions on every chapter. 

I am also under great obligation to Professor Isidor 
Loeb of the University of Missouri for his permission to 
reproduce the series of county maps of Missouri which 
had been made by the PoHtical Science Department of 
that institution, and to the Missouri Historical Society, 
Mr. Louis Houck, Mrs. Vida E. Smith, and others for 
their permission to reproduce many of the maps and 
illustrations in this book. 

E. M. ViOLETTE. 
State Normal School, 
KiRKSviLLE, Missouri, 
May I, 1918. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 
EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI 



Territorial Losses of France in America, 1762-63 
Early French Settlements in Illinois . 

1. Location .... 

2. Kaskaskia .... 

3. Character and Life of the Settlers 

4. Government .... 
Temporary French Settlements in Missour 

1. River des Peres Settlement . 

2. Fort Orleans .... 

a. "Great Caravan," 1720 

b. DeBourgmont's Expedition, 1722-23 

c. Site of Fort Orleans . 

d. Destruction of Fort Orleans, 1726 
Ste. Genevieve, First Permanent Settlement in Missouri 

1. Early Lead Mining in IMissouri 

a. By Renault 

b. By Illinois French Settlers 

2. Founding of Ste. Genevieve, 1735 

3. Removal to a New Site, 1785-91 
St. Louis, the Second Permanent Settlement in Missouri 

1. Grant to Maxent, Laclede and Company 

2. Selection of the Site by Laclede 

3. Founding of the Village, Feb. 15, 1764 . 

4. Plan of the Village 

5. Names . . . ." . 

Spanish Forts at the Mouth of the Missouri River . 
Conditions in Missouri, 1765-70 .... 

1. Emigration from French Illinois Settlements into 

Missouri 

2. Life in the French Settlements in Missouri 

3. Arrival of Piemas in St. Louis, 1770 

xi 



PAGE 
2 



Xll CONTENTS 

CHAPTER II 

THE ENGLISH ATTACK UPON ST. LOUIS IN 1780 

PAGE 

George Rogers Clark Expedition, 1778-79 . . . 22 

1. Cooperation of Spanish Authorities at New Orleans 

with Virginia . . . . . . .22 

2. Declaration of War by Spain against England, 

1779 23 

3. Capture of Illinois Settlements .... 23 
Plan of England for an Expedition down the Mississippi . 24 

St. Louis in 1780 25 

The Attack, May 26, 1780 27 

Causes of the Failure of the Expedition .... 29 

Significance of the Attack 30 

Spanish Expedition against St. Joseph, Michigan, 1781 . 30 

DeLeyba 31 

CHAPTER III 

CONDITIONS IN MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH 
PERIOD 



Transfer of Louisiana from France to the United States 
Causes of Immigration to Missouri, 1 769-1 804 . 

1. Disorder in the Illinois Country, 1778-90 

a. Virginia Misrule ..... 
h. Peace between England and the United States 

2. Northwest Ordinance, 1787 .... 

3. Spanish Offers to Settlers .... 
a. Free Grants of Land ..... 

h. Laxness in the Enforcement of Religious Re 
strictions 

4. Purchase of Louisiana, 1803 .... 
Predominance of Americans in Missouri by 1 804 
Growth of Settlements in Missouri during the Spanish 

Period 

I. St. Charles District 

a. St. Charles 

h. Portage des Sioux 



32 
35 
35 
35 
36 
36 
37 
37 

37 
39 
39 

39 
39 
39 
41 



CONTENTS 



Xlll 



3- 



c. 

d. 

St. 

a. 

h. 

c. 

d. 

e. 



La Charette 

Settlements along the Creeks of the District 
Louis District .... 

St. Louis 

Carondelet .... 
Florissant ..... 
Creve Coeur and Point Labadie 
Settlements along the Meramec 
Ste. Genevieve District . 

New Bourbon .... 
Mine a Breton .... 
Farmington and Fredericktown 
Ste. Genevieve, the Most Populous District in 
1804 .... 

4. Cape Girardeau District 

a. Cape Girardeau 

b. Americans in the Majority 

5. New Madrid District 
a. L'Anse a la Graise 
h. Morgan's Colonization Scheme 

c. Founding of New Madrid . 

d. CaruthersviUe and Portageville 
Areas of Settlement in Missouri in 1804 
Distribution of French and American Settlers 
Government of Louisiana . 

1. Governor General and Cabildo 

2. Officials of Upper Louisiana 

3. Administration of Laws 

4. Lack of Popular Government 
Life among the French Settlers . 



I. 


Houses .... 


2. 


Farms .... 




a. Common Fields 




b. Commons . 




c. Agricultural Implements 


3- 


Trading in Furs 


4- 


Industries 


5- 


Dress .... 


6. 


Manners 


7- 


Education and Religion 



PAGE 
41 
42 
42 
42 

43 
43 
43 
44 
44 
44 
45 
46 

46 
47 

47 
48 
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48 

49 
50 
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51 
51 
52 
52 
52 
53 
54 
55 
55 
57 
57 
58 
58 
59 
60 
60 
60 
60 



XIV 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Life of the American Settlers 6i 

1. Houses 6i 

2. Occupations 6i 

Daniel Boone 62 

1. Early Life 62 

2. In Kentucky 62 

3. In Missouri 63 

4. Death 64 

CHAPTER IV 



INDIAN TROUBLES IN MISSOURI DURING THE WAR 

OF 1812 



Indian Tribes in Missouri in 181 2 

1 . South of the Missouri River .... 

2. North of the Missouri River .... 
Growth of Settlements, 1803-12 .... 

1 . Doubling of Population 

2. Extension of Area of Settlement . 
Indian Warfare 

1. Activity of the Indians East of the Mississippi 

River ........ 

2. Militia Expeditions under General Howard and 

General Dodge 

3. Erection of Forts ....... 

Treaties of Peace with the Indians .... 

1 . Ratification of Cessions of Lands by the Sacs and 

Foxes 

2. Cessions by the Osages 

Extinction of Indian Titles in Missouri 

Munitions of War from Missouri in the War of 181 2 



66 
66 
67 
67 

67 
67 

68 

68 

69 
69 



71 
71 
72 
72 



CHAPTER V 



CONDITIONS IN MISSOURI DURING THE TERRI- 
TORIAL PERIOD 

Increase in Population 74 

I. Immigration from Virginia, Kentucky, and Other 

States 74 





CONTENTS 


XV 


2. 


Growth of Frontier Settlements in Missouri . 


PAGE 

75 


3- 


Decline in Population of New Madrid . 


76 


Formation of New Counties, 1804-20 


77 


Pioneer Conditions in Missouri 


81 


I. 


Turbulence and Disorder . . . 


82 




a. Drunkenness and Gambling 


82 




b. Sunday Desecration 


83 




c. Fighting . 




83 




d. Raids on Indians 




84 


2. 


Speculations . 




84 


3- 


Political Agitations 




84 


Indications of Progress 




84 


I. 


Professional Classes 




84 


2. 


Schools . 




84 


3- 


Churches 




85 




a. Removal of Religious Restrictions . 


85 




h. Adaptability of Baptists and Methodists tc 






Pioneer Conditions .... 


85 




c. Baptists in Missouri 


86 




d. Methodists in Missouri .... 


87 




e. Protestant Churches in St. Louis 


88 




/. Influence of Pioneer Preachers . 


88 




g. Catholics in Missouri .... 


89 


4- 


Newspapers 


92 


5- 


Postal Facilities 


94 


6. 


Transportation Facilities .... 


95 




a. Roads and Ferries 


• 95 




h. Steamboats 


95 


7- 


Industrial Improvements .... 


. 96 


8. 


Taverns 




97 



CHAPTER VI 
THE STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 



Significance of the Missouri Question 

Act of Congress, 1803 .... 

Act of 1804 

1 . Creation of the District of Louisiana 

2. Protest against this Act 



99 

100 
100 
100 

lOI 



XVI 



CONTENTS 



Act of 1805 

1. Creation of the Territory of Louisiana 

2. Territorial Institutions . 
Act of 1812 

1. Creation of the Territory of Missouri 

2. Changes in the Territorial Institutions 

Act of 1816 

Boundary Changes ..... 
Petitions for Statehood .... 

1. Popular Petitions of 1817 

2. Legislative Memorial of 181 8 

3. Popular Petitions of 18 19 

4. Differences in the Petitions Regarding Boundaries 
First Missouri Compromise 

1. The Thomas Amendment 

2. Provisions Regarding a Constitutional Amendment 

3. Boundaries ....... 

Public Opinion in Missouri over the Struggle in Congress 

1. Methods Employed in Expressing Opinions . 

2. Opposition to Restrictions Regarding Slavery 
Reception of the News of the Compromise 

Election of Delegates to the Constitutional Convention 

1 . State Restriction upon Slavery — the Issue . 

2. No State Restrictionists Elected 
Personnel of the Convention 

1 . Nationality of Members 

2. Place of Birth 

3. Place of Rearing . 

4. Occupation . 
Work of the Convention . 

1. Adoption of the Constitution 

it to the People 

2. Adoption of an Ordinance 

Propositions of Congress 
Constitution of 1820 . 

1. Preamble 

2. Boundaries 

3. Frame of Government . 

a. Legislative Department 

b. Executive Department 



without Submitting 
Accepting the Five 



CONTENTS 



XVll 



c. Judicial Department 

d. Local Officials 

4. Declaration of Rights and the Schedule 

Framers of the Constitution 

Sources of the Constitution ..... 
Missouri, a State, on July 19, 1820 . 

First State Election 

First General Assembly ...... 

1 . Election of Barton and Benton as Senators . 

2. Other Business 

Second Missouri Compromise ..... 

1. Objectional Clause in the Constitution Regarding 

Free Negroes 

2. Terms of the Compromise .... 

3. Expressions of Public Opinion in Missouri Regard 

ing Congressional Delay .... 

4. Rejoicing in Missouri on the Reception of the News 
Solemn Public Act of the General Assembly of Missouri 

1. Provisions of the Act 

2. Observance of the Act until 1 847 . 
Admission of the State into the Union 



123 
124 
124 
124 
126 
127 
127 
128 
128 

131 

132 

132 

134 

134 
135 
136 
136 
138 
138 



CHAPTER VII 
EARLY BANKING IN MISSOURI 



Present Banking System in Missouri 

Early Barter System 

First Banks in Missouri .... 

1. Bank of St. Louis and Bank of Missouri 

2. Collapse of these Banks 
United States Bank in St. Louis 
Bank of the State of Missouri . 

1 . Need for a Bank .... 

2. Chartered by the Legislature, 1837 

3. Management of the Bank 

4. Effects of the Panic of 1837 on the Bank 

5. Laws against the Use of "Wildcat" Currency 
Banking Law of 1857 .... 

I . Need for more Banks of Issue 



140 
140 
142 
142 
142 
143 
143 
144 
144 

145 
146 

147 
147 
147 



XVIU 



CONTENTS 



2. Constitutional Amendment . 

3. Creation of New Banks . 

4. Effects of the Panic of 1857 . 
Private Banks in St. Joseph and Kansas City 
End of the Bank of the State of Missouri 



PAGE 

148 
148 
149 
149 
149 



CHAPTER VIII 
KEARNY AND DONIPHAN'S EXPEDITIONS 

Interest of Missourians in the Annexation of Texas . .151 

1. BeUef in " Manifest Destiny " . . . .151 

2. Blood Relationship between the People of Missouri 

and Texas 151 

3. No Interest in the Extension of Slave Territory . 152 
First Missouri Volunteers for the Mexican War . -152 
Preparation for the Santa Fe Expedition . . . -153 

1. Reasons for the Expedition 153 

2. Gathering of Troops at Fort Leavenworth . -154 

3. Election of Doniphan as Colonel . . . -154 
March to Santa Fe 155 

1 . Difficulties of the March 155 

2. Entry into Santa Fe 156 

3. Kearny's Proclamation Annexing New Mexico . 157 

Kearny's Expedition to California 157 

Price's Expedition to Santa Fe . . . . . .158 

Doniphan's Expedition against the Navajos . . .158 

1. Severe Suffering of the Men 159 

2. Suppression of the Navajos 160 

Doniphan's Expedition through Mexico . . . .160 

1. Battle of Brazito 161 

2. Entry into El Paso 161 

3. March to Chihuahua 162 

4. Battle of Sacramento . . . . . .162 

5. Advance to Saltillo and Matamoras . . -163 

6. Embarkation for Home 163 

Reception of the Troops at St. Louis . . . .164 

Rebellion in New Mexico 164 

Return of Price to New Mexico 165 

Significance of Doniphan's Expedition . , , . 166 



CONTENTS XIX 

CHAPTER IX 

MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 



Missouri as a Colonizer of the Far West . 
Significance of the Fur Trade in the History of Missouri 
Early Fur Trade in Missouri ..... 

1 . Furs as Media of Exchange .... 

2. Grant to Maxent, Laclede and Company 

3. Individual Traders 

4. Restricted Fields of Operation 
New Era in the Fur Trade of Missouri 

1 . Enlargement of Field of Operation 

2. Creation of Large Fur Companies . 
Missouri Fur Company or Manuel Lisa and Company 

1. Operations along the Upper Missouri 

2. Manuel Lisa . 
Rocky Mountain Fur Company 

1 . Operations in the Rockies 

2. General William Ashley 

a. Early Career 

b. The Annual Rendezvous 

c. The Pack Train 

3. Importance of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company 

in the Development of the West 
American Fur Company 

1. John Jacob Astor 

2. Monopoly . . . . 

3. Pratte, Chouteau and Company . 
Decline of the St. Louis Fur Trade by i860 
Revival since 1890 

1. New Methods 

2. Auction Sales 

3. St. Louis, the " Fur City of the World " 
Early Means of River Transportation 

1. Canoe 

2. Mackinaw 

3. Bull Boat 

4. Keel Boat 



PAGE 
167 
169 

170 
170 

170 
171 
171 
172 
172 
172 

175 
175 
176 
176 
176 
177 

177 
178 
178 
179 
179 
179 
180 
180 
180 
181 
181 
181 
182 
182 
183 



XX CONTENTS 

Steamboat on the Missouri River . . . 

1 . First Appearance 

2. The Yellowstone 

3. Disappearance from the Missouri River 

4. Reappearance in Recent Years 
The Overland Routes ...... 

Early Santa Fe Expeditions 

1. Santa Fe ...... . 

2. First Expedition 

3. Vial's Journey, 1792-93 . . . . 

4. Imprisonment of American Traders in Mexico 

5. Pike's Expedition, 1806-07 .... 

6. Mexican Revolution, 1821 . 
Becknell's Expeditions, 1821-22 .... 
Difficulties in Developing the Santa Fe Trade . 

1. Indian Attacks ...... 

a. Appeal to the United States Government for 

Protection ...... 

b. Organization of the Caravans . 

2. Mexican Tariffs and Customs Regulations 
Character of the Santa Fe Trade and its Value 

1. Traders 

2. Wares 

3. Returns 

4. Profits 

Comparison between the Oregon and the Santa Fe Trails 
Origin of the Oregon Trail ..... 

Common Starting Point of the Two Trails 

1. Franklin 

2. Independence 

3. Westport 

Importance of the Trails in the History of Missouri . 
Marking the Trails 

CHAPTER X 

THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 

"Forty-niners" . 204 

Book of Mormon 204 

I . Records on Gold Plates 205 



CONTENTS 



XXI 



2. Translation of the Plates 

3. Growth in the Number of Mormons 
Lamanite Mission ..... 

1. Journey to Independence, Missouri 

2. Failure of the Mission . 
The Founding of Zion at Independence 

1. Ceremonies, August 2 and 3, 1831 

2. Plan for the Rebuilding of Independence 

3. Migration of Mormons to the Land of Zion 
Expulsion from Jackson County 

1. First Signs of Hostility .... 

2. Address of the Citizens of Jackson County to 

Mormons ...... 

3. Mobbing of the Mormons 

4. The Mormons Agree to Leave the County 

5. Mormons Decide Not to Leave 

6. Renewal of Hostilities against the Mormons 

7. Mormons Move to Clay County . 

8. Reception in Clay County 
Attempts of the Mormons to Secure Redress 
Troubles in Clay County ..... 

1. Increase in the Number of Mormons 

2. Mass Meeting of Citizens at Liberty 
Settlement of the Mormons in Caldwell County 

1. Creation of Caldwell County 

2. Far West 

3. Mormon Control of the County 

4. Arrival of Joseph Smith at Far West 

5. Dissensions among the Mormons . 
The Gathering of the Storm .... 

1. Rigdon's Salt Sermon, July 4, 1838 

2. Clash at Gallatin, August 6, 1838 . 

3. Other Hostilities 

Expulsion from the State ..... 

1. Governor Boggs' Exterminating Order . 

2. Surrender of Mormons to General Lucas 

3. Trial of Smith and Others 

4. Exodus of Mormons to Illinois 
Return of the Mormons to Missouri . 



the 



PAGE 
206 
206 
206 
206 
207 
207 
207 
209 
210 
210 
210 

211 
211 
212 
212 
213 
214 
215 
215 
216 
216 
216 
217 
217 
218 
219 
219 
219 
220 
220 
221 
222 
223 
223 
224 
224 
225 
226 



XXll 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER XI 
THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 



First Railroads in the United States . 

Reasons Why Missouri Delayed Building Railroads 

1. Conservatism of the People . 

2. Natural Highways .... 

3. Lack of Money 

Early Agitation in Missouri in Favor of Railroads 

1 . First Railroad Convention, 1 836 . 

2. Incorporation of Eighteen Railroads, 1837 

3. Decline of Interest in Railroads 
Reasons for the Revival of Interest . 

1 . Increase in Population . . . . 

2. Recovery from the Panic of 1837 . 

3. Lack of Adequate Transportation Facilities 

4. Decline of the Santa Fe Trade 

5. Rise of Chicago as a Commercial Center 

6. Undeveloped Trade with the Interior of the State 
Efforts to Obtain Congressional Assistance 

1. Grant of 500,000 Acres in 184 1 

2. Plans for a Transcontinental Road 
Grant of State Aid 

1. Governor King's Proposal to the Legislature 

2. Law of 1 85 1 

3. Issue of State Bonds to the Amount of $24,950,000 

by i860 

Construction of the Roads .... 

1. Beginning of the Pacific Railroad in 1861 

2. Grant of State Aid in 1852 

3. Grant of Lands by Congress . 

4. Delay in Construction .... 

a. Legislative Inquiry .... 

b. Report of the Legislative Commission 

5. Legislative Grants, 1855 

6. Gasconade Disaster .... 

7. Last Legislative Grant, 1857 . 
Railroad Mileage in Missouri in i860 
Default of Railroads in Payment of Interest 
Private Loans to the Railroads .... 



CONTENTS 



XXIU 



Railroad Mileage in Missouri in 1865 

Sale of the Railroads, 1868 

1. Amount Received from the Sale . 

2. Farcical Investigation of the Sale . 

3. Conditions Imposed on Purchasing Companies 

4. Liquidation of the State Debt 

County and Municipal Aid to Railroads in Missouri . 
Railroad Development in Missouri since 1865 . 

1. Establishment of Interstate Systems 

2. Consolidation of the Railroads 

CHAPTER XII 



PAGE 
242 

243 
243 
244 
244 
245 
245 
247 

247 
249 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 



Early Life of Benton . 

1. Removal to Tennessee . 

2. In Tennessee Politics 

3. Service in the War of 1812 

4. Quarrel with Jackson 
Early Career in St. Louis . 

1 . Entry into Politics 

2. Editor of the Enquirer . 

3. Election to the United States Senate 
Political Developments in Missouri, 1820-44 

1. " Era of Good Feeling " 

2. Early Elections in Missouri Not on Party Lines 

3. Missouri and the Presidential Election of 1824 

4. Formation of a Jackson Party in Missouri 

5. Formation of a Whig Party in Missouri 
Split in the Democratic Party in Missouri 

1. "Hards" and "Softs" 

a. Benton a " Hard " Money Man 

b. Opposition of the "Softs" to Benton 

2. Other Issues ....... 

a. Tenure of Judges 

b. Representation in the Legislature 

c. District System for Congressional Elections 
Campaign of 1844 ....... 

I. Democratic State Convention Captured by the 
"Hards" 



250 
250 
251 
251 
251 
252 
253 
254 
256 

257 
258 
258 
258 

259 
261 
261 
261 
262 
262 
263 
263 
263 
264 
265 

265 



XXIV 



CONTENTS 



2. Ticket Put Out by the "Softs' 

3. Texas Question 

a. Opposition of Benton to the Annexation of 

Texas .... 

b. Activity of Benton's Enemies 

4. Victory of "Hards" and Reelection of Benton to 

the Senate ....... 

Benton's Last Term in the Senate .... 

1. Mexican War ...... 

2. Wilmot Proviso 

3. Omnibus Bill and Compromise of 1850 . 
" Jackson Resolutions " in the Missouri Legislature . 

1 . Widespread Interest in the Question of Slavery 

2. Text of the Resolutions 

3. Passage of the Resolutions 
Benton's Reply to the Resolutions 

1. His "Appeal" 

2. His Canvass over the State 

3. Reply of Benton's Enemies 
Division in Whig Party 
Benton's Defeat in 185 1 
Causes of Benton's Overthrow . 

1. His Attitude toward Slavery 

2. His "Appeal" and Addresses 
The Sources of His Strength with the People 

1. His Fearlessness 

2. His Fine Physique 

3. His Wide Knowledge 

4. His Political Integrity . 

5. His Belief in the West . 
Contributing Causes of His Downfall 

1. His Vanity and Haughtiness 

2. His Lack of Political Tact 
Loss of Influence during the Last Ten Years of 
Later Career 

1 . In the House of Representatives . 

2. Attempt to Reenter the Senate 

3. Race for the Governorship 

4. Literary Efforts .... 
Missouri's Greatest Citizen 



Service 



CONTENTS XXV 

CHAPTER XIII 
SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 



Indian Slaves in Missouri 

Early Negro Slavery in Missouri .... 
Number of Slaves in Missouri, 1803-60 

1 . Decrease in the Percentage of Increase . 

2. Increase in the Number of Slaves in Certain Parts 

of the State ...... 

3. Small Average Number of Slaves Held by Masters 
Value of Slaves ........ 

Traffic in Slaves . 

Legal Basis for Slavery in Missouri .... 

1. Treaty of 1803 and Constitution of 1820 

2. Slave Codes, 1804-60 

Civil Status of Slaves in Missouri .... 

1. Disabilities . 

2. A Slave Not a Mere Thing .... 

3. Penalties for Crimes and Misdemeanors 
Relation between Masters and Slaves 
Recovery of Fugitive Slaves ..... 

1. Laws against Owners of Boats 

2. Laws against Assemblies of Negroes 

3. Patrols 

Abolitionists ........ 

1. Law against Teaching Negroes 

2. Law against Abolitionists .... 

3. Lovejoy ....... 

4. Increased Bitterness toward Abolitionists 
Early Emancipation Movement in Missouri 

1. Scheme of 1828 

2. Missouri State Colonization Society, 1839 

3. Manumission of Slaves by Individual Masters 
Free Negroes 

1. Constitutional Provision Concerning Free Negroes 

2. Fear of Their Rapid Increase 

3. Free Negro Code, 1835 

4. Later Laws against Free Negroes . 



PAGE 

286 
286 
287 
287 



289 

290 
290 
291 
291 
292 
292 
292 

293 
293 
294 

295 
295 
295 

296 
296 
296 

297 

297 
298 
298 
299 

299 
300 

300 

300 
301 
301 

301 



XXVI CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XIV 
KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES, 1855-60 



PAGE 



Region West of the Mississippi in 1850 .... 304 
Interest of Missourians in the Opening Up of the Nebraska 
Territory 

1 . Petitions to Congress 

2. Desire for Cheap Lands .... 
Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1 854 

1 . Delay of Congress 

2. Passage of the Bill 

Rush to Kansas 

1. From Missouri 

2. From the East ...... 

Attitude of Missourians toward Immigration to Kansas 

from the East 

1 . As Shown by Newspapers .... 

2. As Shown by Mass Meetings 
Missouri Defensive Associations .... 
Missourians at the Kansas Elections 

1. Territorial Delegate ..... 

2. Territorial Legislature ..... 

3. David Atchison, Leader of the Missourians 

4. New Elections in Six Districts 
Contest between the Territorial and Free State Govern- 
ments in Kansas ..... 

Invasions of Kansas by Border Ruffians . 

1 . Sacking of Lawrence ..... 

2. Dutch Henry's Crossing .... 

3. Destruction of the Ossawotamie . 

4. Intervention of United States Troops . 
Invasions of Missouri by "Jayhawkers" . 

1. Object of "Jayhawkers" .... 

2. Cooperation of Governors of Missouri and Kansas 

3. John Brown's Raid into Missouri, 1858" 

4. Montgomery's Raid, i860 .... 

5. Restoration of Order 



CONTENTS 



XXVll 



CHAPTER XV 

THE CIVIL WAR — MISSOURI DECIDES TEMPO- 
RARILY AGAINST SECESSION 



Border States and Secession 
Elections in Missouri in i860 

1. National Conventions 

2. Results in Missouri 

a. Governor . 

b. Legislature 

c. President . 
Attitude of the Legislature toward Secession 

1. Message of Governor Stewart 

2. Inaugural Address of Governor Jackson 

3. Provision Made for a State Convention 

4. Resolution against the Coercion of the South 
Election of Delegates to the Convention . 

1. " Conditional Union Men " .... 

2. " Unconditional Union Men " 

First Session of the Convention .... 

1 . Report of the Committee on Federal Relations 

2. Consideration of Other Resolutions 

3. Adjournment Subject to Call 
Adjournment of the Legislature .... 



322 
323 
323 
323 
324 
324 
324 
325 
326 

327 
327 
328 

329 
329 
330 
331 
332 
333 
333 
333 



CHAPTER XVI 



THE CIVIL WAR 



-THE FIRST STRUGGLE FOR 
MISSOURI 



Disappointment of Governor Jackson over the Convention 
Jackson Refuses to Comply with Lincoln's Call 
Jackson and the Federal Arsenals in Missouri . 

1 . Capture of the Liberty Arsenal 

2. Plans to Capture the St. Louis Arsenal . 

a. Reassembling of the Legislature 

b. Mustering of State Militia in Camps 

c. War Material Secured from President Davis 
Capture of Camp Jackson ...... 

1 . Activity of Lyon and Blair .... 

2. Decision to Capture Camp Jackson 



335 
335 
336 
336 
336 
337 
337 
338 
339 
339 
342 



XXVlll 



CONTENTS 



3. Protests of General Frost .... 

4. The Capture of the Camp .... 

5. Clash between the Federal Troops and the People 
Excitement in St. Louis ...... 

1. On the Evening of May 10 .... 

2. On the Evening of May 1 1 .... 

3. On Sunday, May 12 

Significance of Capture of Camp Jackson . 

1 . Passage of the Military Bill by the Legislature 

2. Conversion of Conditional Unionists into Seces- 

sionists 

Price-Harney Agreement ..... 

1 . Terms of the Agreement 

2. Removal of Harney .... 
Interview between Lyon and Jackson in St. Louis 

1. The Issue 

2. Failure to Reach Any Agreement . 

3. Return of Jackson to the Capital . 
Mobilization of Troops 



PAGE 

343 
344 
345 
345 
347 
347 
348 
348 

350 
351 
351 
351 
352 
352 
353 
353 
354 



CHAPTER XVII 



THE CIVIL WAR — THE SECOND STRUGGLE FOR 
MISSOURI 



Jackson's Call for Volunteers 

Movement of Lyon up the Missouri River 

1 . Occupation of Jeflferson City . 

2. Advance to Boonville . 

3. Battle of Boonville 

4. Lyon's Proclamation to the People of Missouri 

5. Significance of the Battle of Boonville 
Concentration of the State Guards in the Southwest 

1. Advance of Federal Troops toward Springfield 

2. Battle of Carthage .... 

3. Price's Encampment at Cowskin Prairie 
Lyon's Campaign around Springfield 

1 . Request for Reinforcements . 

2. Advance of Price to Cassville 

3. Lyon's Advance to and Retreat from Cassville 



355 
355 
355 
356 
356 
357 
357 
358 
358 
358 
359 
360 
360 
361 
362 



CONTENTS 



XXIX 



4. Differences between Price and McCuUoch 

5. Battle of Wilson's Creek, Aug. 10, 1861 

6. Inability of Price to Follow up his Victory- 
Price's Campaign around Lexington . 

1. Battle of Lexington, Sept. 18-20, 1861 

2. Return of Price to the Southwest . 

3. Plans of Fremont in the Southwest 
Establishment of a Provisional Government by the 

vention 

Declaration of Secession by the Legislature 
Pea Ridge Campaign .... 

1. Price's Appeal for Reenforcements 

2. Price's Retreat into Arkansas 

3. Battle of Pea Ridge, March 6-8, 1862 

4. Significance of Pea Ridge 

a. On the Situation in Missouri 

b. In Other Fields 
Battle of Belmont 



Con 



362 
363 
365 
365 
365 
367 
368 

369 
369 
370 
370 

371 
371 
372 
372 
372 
373 



CHAPTER XVIII 



THE CIVIL WAR 



-THE LAST STRUGGLE FOR 
MISSOURI 



Price Enters the Confederate Service 

1. Critical Situation in the South 

2. Departure of Price and his Men . 

3. Missouri Brigades ...... 

Skirmishes and Battles between the Federals and the Con 

federate Recruiting Parties 

1. Battle of Kirksville, Aug. 6, 1862 

2. Battles of Independence (Aug. 11, 1862) and Lone 

Jack (Aug. 16, 1862) ..... 
Discontent in Missouri 

1. Governor Gamble's Military Order 

2. Interference of the Militia .... 
a. Responsibility of Subordinate Officials for Out- 
rages 



374 
374 
374 
375 

376 

377 

378 
378 

379 

380 

380 



XXX 



CONTENTS 



b. Bitterness of the Confederates toward the 

MiUtia 

Renewal of Border Warfare .... 

1. Kansas "Red Legs" .... 

2. Sacking of Lawrence by Quantrell 

3. " Order Number Eleven " 

a. Execution of the Order 

b. Depredations of the "Red Legs" 

c. Prairie Fires ..... 

d. Attempt at Justification of the Order 
Price's Raid, 1864 

1 . Operations of Price in Arkansas 

2. Pilot Knob and Jefferson City 

3. Westport ...... 

a. Price's Advance to Independence 

b. The Three Days' Battle . 

c. Westport, the "Gettysburg of the West" 

4. Results of the Raid .... 
Missouri and the Civil War .... 

1 . Military Engagements in Missouri 

2. Number of Missourians Engaged . 



State 



381 
381 

381 
382 
382 
383 
384 
384 
384 
385 
385 
386 

387 



389 
390 
391 
391 
391 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF MISSOURI — 
ITS PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES 



Governor Jackson Abandons Jefferson City 
Provisional Government Established . 

1. Second Session of the Convention . 

2. Significance of the Action of the Convention 
Problems of the Provisional Government . 

1. The '' Jackson Government " 

2. Revenue ...... 

3. Militia 

4. Qualifications for Suffrage and Office Holding 

a. Ordinance of October, 1861 

b. Ordinance of June, 1862 . 

5. Emancipation 



393 
393 
393 
395 
395 
396 
396 
396 
397 
397 
397 
398 



CONTENTS 



XXXI 



a. Fremont's Proclamation .... 

b. Lincoln's Scheme of "Compensated Abolish 

ment" ...... 

c. Fourth Session of the Convention 

d. Ordinance for Gradual Emancipation 
Lincoln and the Radicals of IMissouri 

1 . Rise of Conservatives and Radicals 

2. Meeting of Radicals at Jefferson City . 

3. Radical Delegation before Lincoln 

4. Lincoln's Reply ..... 

5. Attempt of the Radicals to Defeat Lincoln 
Ordinance for Immediate Emancipation in Missouri 



PAGE 

399 

399 
400 
400 
401 
401 
401 
402 

403 
404 

405 



CHAPTER XX 

THE RULE OF THE RADICAL PARTY IN 
MISSOURI 

Suffrage 

1. Leadership of Drake in the Convention of 1865 

2. Debates on Suffrage 

3. Disqualifications for Voting . 
Disqualifications for the Professions . 
Adoption of the Constitution of 1865 
The Ousting Ordinance 
Radical Rule in Missouri . 

1. Enforcement of the "Test Oath" upon the Pro 

fessions .... 

2. Registry Acts of 1866 and 1868 

3. Radical Successes in 1866 and 1868 
Opposition to the Radicals in 1866 and 1868 

1. Conservative Unionists, 1866 

2. Democrats, 1868 ..... 

3. Defeat of the Negro Suffrage Amendment 
Downfall of Radicals, 1870 .... 

1 . Schism in the Radical Party over Suffrage 

2. Alliance between Democrats and Liberals 

3. Passing of Drake 



407 
407 
408 
408 
410 
411 
412 
414 

414 

415 
416 
416 
417 
417 
418 
419 
419 
421 
422 



XXXll 



CONTENTS 



THE RETURN 



CHAPTER XXI 

OF THE DEMOCRATS 
IN MISSOURI 



TO POWER 



Campaign of 1872 . 

1 . Coalition between the Liberal Republicans and the 

Democrats . 

2. Liberal Republican National Convention 

3. Victory of Coalitionists in Missouri 
Campaign of 1874 

1. People's Party, a Combination of the Grange and 

the Republicans 

2. Victory of the Democrats .... 
Democratic Rule in Missouri since 1874 . 
Constitution of 1875 

1. Constitutional Convention .... 

2. Adoption of the Constitution 

Demands for a New Constitution .... 

1 . Present Constitution Too Long and Complicated 

2. Its Inflexibility 

3. Provisions regarding Taxation and Revenue . 

a. Railroad Frauds ..... 

b. Limitations on Taxation .... 
Refusal of Legislature to Call a Constitutional 

Convention 



4- 



424 

424 

425 
426 
426 

427 
427 
428 
429 
429 
431 
432 
432 
433 
433 
433 
435 

435 



CHAPTER XXn 

THE FREE SILVER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI 



Rise of the Free Silver Issue 








• 436 


I. Greenback Movement . 








• 436 


2. Populist Movement 








• 437 


3. Bland Silver Bill, 1877 . 








437 


4. Sherman Act, 1890 








• 438 


5. Formulation of the Issue 








• 439 


Free Silver Issue in Missouri 








• 439 


I. Campaign of 1894 . 








• 439 


2. Pertle Springs Convention, 1895 






• 440 


3. Bland's Candidacy for the Presidency 




• 440 


4. Campaign of 1896 . 








• 441 



CONTENTS 



XXXUl 



CHAPTER XXIII 

RECENT ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 
IN MISSOURI 



Growth of Population ...... 

Rate of Increase in Population from 1810 to 1910 

Rank of Missouri in Population in the Nation 
Development of Industries and Wealth 

Agriculture ... 

Mining .... 

Manufactures and Commerce 

Taxable Wealth . 
Indebtedness .... 

State Debt .... 

Certificates of Indebtedness 

1. Origin of the State School and Seminary 

Funds .... 

2. Investment of these Funds 

3. Consolidation of the School Fund . 

4. Constitutional Amendments, 1902 . 
Current Deficiencies ..... 

Educational Institutions ..... 
Education in Missouri prior to the Civil War 
Education during the Civil War 
Education since the Civil War 



I 

2 

3 
4 


Elementary Schools 
High Schools . 
University of Misso 
Nonnal Schools 


uri 


5 

Neede 

Prohibitioi 


Colleges . 
d Improvements 
1 Movement 




Local Option Law of 1887 
County Unit Law 
Constitutional Amendment 




Bibliography 


Appendix 


Index 







A HISTORY OF 
MISSOURI 



A HISTORY OF 
MISSOURI 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

CHAPTER I 

EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI, 1735-69 

[Historical Setting} — The French and Indian War, including 
the Treaty of Paris, 1763.] 

We shall begin our study of the history of Missouri introduc- 
by taking a survey of the conditions that existed there **°" 
shortly after the close of the French and Indian War. 
We might have chosen to begin with the explorations of 
Joliet, Marquette, and La Salle in the latter part of the 
seventeenth century, and thus have related the story of 
how these French men, starting out from Canada, reached 
the Mississippi River and in their descent of that stream 
passed along the eastern border of what is now Missouri, 
the first two going as far as the mouth of the Arkansas 
and the last to the mouth of the Mississippi itself. Or we 
might have begun with the explorations of DeSoto in the 
middle of the sixteenth century and have followed him in 
his wanderings from Tampa Bay, Florida, to the Missis- 
sippi River, and as some claim, into southeastern Mis- 
souri. 

But for our purposes it is not necessary that any of these 
explorations should be recounted here. Even if it were 
proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that DeSoto actually 
entered within the boundaries of the present State of 
Missouri, his coming was of no special significance to the 
history of the State. And as for Joliet, Marquette, and 
La Salle, their voyages were primarily significant for the 

^ For an explanation of the historical setting for each chapter, see 
the preface. 

I 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Territorial 
Losses of 
France in 
America, 
1 762-63 



basis which they gave the French for their claims to the 
Mississippi Valley, and hence they mean no more in the 
history of one of the states of the Mississippi Valley than 
in that of any other in this region. In fact they are more 
properly topics in American history than in the history 
of any state, and as such are more or less familiar to all 
who know the story of our country. For these reasons 
we have decided to pass them over in this book and to come 
at once to matters that are somewhat local in character 
and yet have a setting in the history of the country at 
large. Hence the conditions that prevailed in Missouri 
at the time when, through the reverses of war, France 
lost her claims to what is now Missouri and all the rest 
of the Mississippi Valley, have been chosen for our 
first topic. 

It so happened that, by the close of the French and 
Indian War, Spain and England had divided between them 
the French possessions in the Mississippi Valley, Spain 
taking all west of the Mississippi River and also the Isle 
of Orleans, and England all east of that river except the 
Isle of Orleans. The cessions made to Spain were however, 
secret and were not officially announced to the French au- 
thorities in the province of Louisiana until October, 1764, 
two years after France had made her first treaty with 
Spain regarding the matter ; and it was not until 1 766 that 
Spanish officials arrived in New Orleans to take possession 
of what had been ceded to Spain, Indeed, it was not until 
1769 that Spain was able to assume full authority in her 
new province.^ 

1 The delay of the Spanish officials in arriving in Spain's new pos- 
sessions is attributed to the violent outburst of indignation which 
arose from the French settlers in Lower Louisiana on hearing that 
France had ceded their territory to Spain. Under these circum- 
stances Spain felt it would be best to defer assuming control of her 
new territory until this feeling of indignation had somewhat abated. 
Thinking that the treaty was merely a temporary and provisional 
expedient, and feeling that they could prevent it from becoming 
permanent, the French settlers in Lower Louisiana sent a dclega- 



EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI 3 

At that time there were just two settlements in what Early 

is now Missouri ; namely, Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis. French Set- 
' -^ ' . tlements in 

But since we cannot well understand the history of Illinois 

the founding of these two settlements without knowing 

something about those that had been made in what is 

now Illinois, a few words must first be said about the 

latter.^ 

In 1769 there were at least five French settlements in i. Location 

what is now Illinois. They were Kaskaskia, La Prairie 

du Rocher (Rocky Meadow), Fort Chartres, St. Philippe, 

and Cahokia. These settlements were situated in a 

district that stretched along the Mississippi River for 

about seventy-five miles from near the mouth of the 

Missouri River to the mouth of the Kaskaskia.- They 

were of great strategic value t6 the French from both 

a commercial and a military point of view, forming an 

tion to France to remonstrate against the proposed cession. Al- 
though they could get no satisfacto'ry assurances from the French 
government, they drew some hope from the prolonged delay of 
Spain in taking formal possession of the province, and were be- 
ginning to feel that possibly the treaty would never be carried out, 
when D'Ulloa arrived in New Orleans in 1766 to assume control 
in behalf of Spain. The French Supreme Council at New 
Orleans refused to recognize D'Ulloa and finally ordered him 
to leave the colony. Unwilling to assume the responsibility of 
taking forcible possession, D'Ulloa actually left Louisiana in 
October, 1768, and returned to Spain. In 1769 O'Reilly was sent 
out by Spain, and he succeeded in taking formal possession of 
Louisiana. 

^The term " Illinois country" was used by the French authorities 
to designate roughly the Upper Mississippi Valley on both sides of 
the river, and therefore included what are now Illinois and Missouri. 
Likewise the Spanish authorities used the term in a similar manner, 
though they seem occasionally to have applied it to the territory 
south of the Missouri River and north of the Arkansas. For the sake 
of clearness, however, the terms, Illinois and Missouri countries, will 
be used in this book to designate what are now Illinois and Missouri 
respectively. 

"^ The region in which these five settlements were situated was 
known after the American Revolution as the "American Bottom." 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Early French Settlements 
in I/I in ois and Mis f our i 
(Prior to 1765) 




important connecting link between the settlements that 
had been estabhshed by them along the St. Lawrence 
and the Great Lakes in the seventeenth century and 
those that had been more recently established along 
the Gulf of Mexico and the lower course of the Mis- 
sissippi.' La Salle had recognized the value of having 
settlements in the Illinois country and had attempted 
to estabHsh one near the present city of Peoria in 1680, 
but had failed. It was nearly twenty years after La 

^ Mobile was founded in 1702 and New Orleans in 1718. 



EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI 5 

Salle's attempt before a permanent settlement was effected 
in the Illinois country, Cahokia being established in 1699 
and Kaskaskia in 1700, both by French missionaries 
from Quebec. The other settlements were not begun 
until some time later, Fort Chartres in 1720, St. Philippe 
in 1723, and Prairie du Rocher in 1733.^ 

In time Kaskaskia became the largest and most im- 2. Kaskaskia 
portant of the settlements in this region. This was due 
largely to its superior natural advantages. It stood 
on the banks of the Kaskaskia River, about five or 
six miles above the junction with the Mississippi. 
Here boatmen found a good harbor which was free 
from many of the dangers which they encountered along 
the Mississippi in that region, such as the caving in 
of banks, the drifting of logs and trees, and the heavy 
gales. Moreover, the harbor was deep and large enough 
to enable them to bring their boats near the shore and 
load and unload without any difficulty. Here also were 
found excellent facilities for operating mills for grinding 
grain and sawing lumber. For these reasons Kaskaskia 
became the center of trade on the Upper Mississippi 
some time before 1763.^ 

At the time the Treaty of Paris was made, in 1763, there 
were about 1000 people living in these five settlements.^ 

1 Meanwhile no permanent settlements had as yet been made in 
Missouri. The explanation for this is doubtless to be found in the 
more favorable conditions which existed in the Illinois country. 

2 Kaskaskia continued to be a place of considerable importance 
for some time after 1763. It was the capital of Illinois from 18 12 
to 1 819, when the territory of Illinois was admitted as a state into 
the Union. After that the place gradually declined in importance. 
In recent years the Mississippi River broke through the land and 
joined the Kaskaskia River where the village of Kaskaskia stood, 
and carried most of it away. The old church still stands, but it is 
on an island on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River at present. 

' The white population in these villages in 1 763 was as follows : 
Kaskaskia, 400; Prairie du Rocher, 50; Fort Chartres, 100; St. 
Philippe, 20; Cahokia, 100 — total, 670. The negro population 
was 300, thus bringing the total up to nearly 1000. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Character 
and Life of 
the Settlers 



4. Govern- 
ment 



Most of these people had emigrated from French Canada 
by way of the Great Lakes and the IlHnois River, having 
been attracted by the opportunities for fur trading offered 
by the IlHnois country. They therefore devoted them- 
selves largely to hunting and trading with the Indians. 
Most of their commerce in peltries was carried on with 
Canada instead of with New Orleans, chiefly because the 
warm climate subjected the pelts to decay ; notwithstand- 
ing this danger, a good many were from time to time sent 
down to New Orleans. Agriculture and stock raising 
were carried on more or less extensively, and considerable 
quantities of flour, beer, wine, ham, and other provisions 
were sent down the river to New Orleans. In at least 
two places, Kaskaskia and Cahokia, there were grain 
mills. 

In each of these settlements there was a Catholic church 
or chapel, and in at least two there was a local priest to 
look after the spiritual welfare of the people. Life in 
these villages was rather free and easy. Some of the 
settlers married Indian squaws, while others brought their 
wives with them from Canada. The men were super- 
stitious and ignorant. They were very active and well 
built physically, and were as well able to endure fatigue 
and hardship in hunting as were the Indians. Most of 
them understood the dialects of the neighboring Indians, 
and many of them affected the manners of these savages. 

The government of these settlements prior to 1765 was 
in the hands of a military officer, called the major com- 
mandant, who was appointed by the governor of the 
Colony of Louisiana at New Orleans. The major com- 
mandant had his headquarters at Fort Chartres and had 
extensive authority, subject, however, to appeal to the 
Council at New Orleans, not only in criminal but also 
in civil cases. His control over the Indian trade was 
said to be so extensive that nobody could be concerned 
in it except on condition of giving him part of the profits. 
This, however, has been denied, and it has been asserted 



EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI 7 

that all of the commandants were men of high character, 
and that some of them returned to France poorer than 
they came. 

Every person capable of bearing arms was enrolled in 
the militia, and a captain of the militia and other officers 
were appointed in each settlement. In three of these 
settlements, Kaskaskia, Fort Chartres, and Cahokia, forts 
were used as a means of protection against attacks from 
the Indians.^ The captains of the militia in the various 
settlements had minor judicial power, about equal to 
that of a justice of the peace in this country to-day. 

Meanwhile, a beginning had been made toward settling Temporary 
what is now Missouri. The first two settlements that § t^i'^Qj ^^ 
were attempted, however, failed to become permanent, in Missouri 
Indeed, they proved to be very temporary. The first 
of these was an attempt on the part of some Jesuit mission- 
aries to establish a settlement at the junction of the River 
des Peres and the Mississippi, which was about six miles 
south of the original site of St. Louis, but is now included 
within the limits of the city along its southern border. We 
have some reason to believe that this settlement was made 
before Cahokia and Kaskaskia were established on the i. River des 
Illinois side, and in fact it is claimed by some to be the 
first white settlement attempted on the Mississippi River 
itself. It is said that the settlers found the site they had 
selected unhealthful, and that they shortly afterward 
moved across the Mississippi to a prairie about twenty- 
five miles above the mouth of the Kaskaskia River. This 
settlement came to be known as St. Joseph's Prairie from 

1 Before 1769, however, the fort at Kaskaskia had been destroyed, 
having been burned in 1766. Likewise the paHsade around the 
one at Cahokia had been torn down before 1769, making the fort 
there totally ineffective. Moreover, the fort at Fort Chartres 
was seriously threatened by the encroachments of the Mississippi 
River before 1769, and was in fact abandoned in 1772, when one 
part of the wall fell into the river. From these things it will be 
seen that the Illinois settlements were woefully lacking in adequate 
defenses in 1769. 



Peres Settle- 
ment 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Fort 
Orleans 



(a) "Great 

Caravan," 

1720 



the church which the settlers built there and dedicated to 
St. Joseph. Later they moved to Kaskaskia, which had 
meanwhile been established.^ 

The second of these temporary white settlements in 
what is now Missouri was called Fort Orleans, and was 
situated on the Missouri River within the botmdaries of 
either the present Carroll County or Saline County. Early 
in the eighteenth century the French authorities at Paris 
and at New Orleans sent men into what is now Illinois 
and Missouri to search for silver. These men failed to 
find any silver, but they did a great deal of exploring in 
these regions. Moreover, the French traders and hunters 
living in Kaskaskia and other Illinois settlements, which 
we have seen were established in the late seventeenth 
and the early eighteenth centuries, soon made their way 
up the Missouri River on hunting expeditions. All this 
activity on the part of the French aroused the fears of the 
Spanish at Santa Fe, and as a result they fitted out an 
expedition in 1720 to reconnoiter the situation. This 
expedition is popularly known as the "Great Caravan," 
and it has long been thought that a large number of 
soldiers, artisans, and farmers, together with their families 
and flocks and herds, made up this caravan. But recent 
investigations seem to make it clear that there were not 
more than fifty soldiers in the expedition, and while there 

1 Some critics reject this story of the River des Peres settlement. 
They point out that the only authority for it is Ivloses Austin's 
Journal, written in 1797, nearly a hundred years later, and declare 
that in none of the " Relations " of the early missionaries and travelers 
is any account given of this settlement. The most that they will 
admit about it is that there may have been a village at the mouth 
of the River des Peres, which was possibly a winter camp of the 
Indians, who had a missionary or two with them. But when it was 
established and how long it lasted, they do not attempt to say. 

In Penicaut's Journal he tells of finding in 1700 some Frenchmen 
at the mouth of the Saline, about six miles below what was later 
Ste. Genevieve. This is, according to some, the very first that we 
know of white people within the present limits of Missouri. Per- 
haps these people were there temporarily to make salt. 



EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI 9 

may have been camp servants, there were no intending 
settlers. However that may be, the expedition failed 
completely, owing to an attack made by hostile Indians, 
only one man belonging to the ill-fated expedition escaping 
with his life to relate the story of the disaster. 

It has frequently been said that the attempt of the ('') De 
Spanish to establish a post on the Missouri in 1720, not- Expedkion ^ 
withstanding this failure, led directly to the founding of 1722-23 
Fort Orleans by the French in 1723. There are, how- 
ever, some reasons for doubting this. It is pointed out 
that De Bourgmont, who had spent some years trading 
with the Indians along the Missouri, had been commis- 
sioned captain and commandant of the Missouri in 1720, 
probably at about the same time the expedition of that 
year met its fate. Moreover, it is known that the in- 
structions given to De Bourgmont concerning the 
founding of a post on the Missouri River were de- 
livered to him in 1722, before the news of the destruc- 
tion of the Spanish expedition could possibly have reached 
France.- 

At any rate, we know that the French realized that 
Spain had claims to the Mississippi and the regions to the 
west on the basis of the DeSoto expedition of 1542, and 
that they felt they must exert themselves quickly if they 
were to supplant the Spanish in this part of the world. 
We also know that De Bourgmont set sail from France 
during the summer of 1722 and, proceeding by way of 
New Orleans and Fort Chartres, finally reached the 
Missouri River by the spring of 1723, and that by 
the fall of that year he had erected a palisade on that 
river, calling it Fort Orleans in honor of the Duke of 
Orleans. 

The exact site of Fort Orleans cannot be determined, (c) Site of 
but in all probability it was not far above the mouth of 
Grand River. Some say it was on the south bank of the 
Missouri, near what is now Malta Bend in Saline County, 
while others hold it was on the north bank a little above 



Fort Orleans 



lO 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



((f) Destruc- 
tion of Fort 
Orleans, 1726 



Ste. Gene- 
vieve, First 
Permanent 
Settlement 
in Missouri 



I. Early 
Lead Mining 
in Missouri 



(a) By 
Renault 



the mouth of Wakenda Creek in Carroll County ; still 
others locate it on an island in the river. ^ 

However that may be, the French did not hold the fort 
very long. According to one account, it was suddenly 
attacked by the Indians in 1726, and every person in it 
was killed and the fort burned to the ground. According 
to another account, it was abandoned in 1726, not because 
of an Indian attack, but because the French authorities 
felt there was no longer any danger of the Spanish at- 
tempting to get a foothold on the Missouri, and they 
therefore allowed the fort to fall into decay. 

The first white settlement that proved to be permanent 
within the limits of the present State of Missouri was 
Ste. Genevieve. It was established probably in 1735 
by people who had been living in Kaskaskia and who 
had been operating lead mines which lay about thirty 
miles west of the Mississippi. Before an account 
of the founding of Ste. Genevieve is related, some- 
thing should be said about the mining operations in that 
vicinity. 

The early settlers in the Illinois country soon learned 
from the Indians that lead was to be found in the region 
across the Mississippi River. This region proved to be 
a section of country about seventy miles long, from the 
head waters of the St. Francois River to the Meramec. 
Rather extravagant accounts of the richness of this dis- 
trict in minerals made their way to France, where they 
were readily believed. Among others who became in- 
terested in these reports was a man named Renault. He 
secured large mineral grants in this district from the French 
government in 1723, and sailed with two hundred miners 
and laborers and everything necessary to carry on mining 
operations, including bricks for a furnace, on each of which 

' Recently the ruins of an old fort and the remains of French 
weapons have been unearthed near Malta Bend in Saline County. 
These finds are taken by some as evidence supporting the claim 
that Fort Orleans was on the south bank of the Missouri River. 



EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI II 

had been stamped his name. On his way to New Orleans 
he stopped at San Domingo, where he purchased five 
hundred negroes to be used in his Missouri mines. These 
were, so far as we know, the first negro slaves in the 
Missouri country. After reaching New Orleans, Renault 
ascended the Mississippi River in canoes up to the Illinois 




Renault's Diggings 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center State, by permission of the Missouri 

Historical Society. 

settlements. He carried on an extensive search for 
minerals on both sides of the Mississippi, and after twenty 
years of rather unsuccessful operations, such mines as 
Mine La Motte, Fourche a Renault, and Mine a Breton 
were opened up within the limits of the present southeast 
Missouri.^ 

Mining operations were carried on in the Missouri (h) By 
country not only by such men as Renault, who came p''"°? 
directly from France, but also by people who lived in the Settlers 
Illinois region. As they found the ore rather near the 
surface, they had had no great difficulty in mining it. 

For some time these men from the Illinois country not 

^ Mine La Motte got its name from La Motte Cadillac, who was 
governor of Louisiana, and who made a trip to Missouri in search 
of silver. Renault's mines were not on the Meramec itself, but on 
Renault's Fork (Fourche k Renault) of the Big River, which is a 
tributary of the Meramec. Renault was the founder of St. Philippe 
on the Illinois side. 



12 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Founding 
of Ste. Gene- 
vieve, 1 735 



3. Removal 
to a New 
Site, 1785-gi 



only mined but hunted in what is now southeastern 
Missouri, at the same time retaining their homes in the 
Illinois settlements. They would cross the Mississippi 
for a mining or a hunting expedition and then return 
home with their lead or game. 

Finally, some of these miners and hunters from Kaskas- 
kia, who had been mining and hunting in the Missouri 
country, built a few cabins on the west bank of the Missis- 
sippi at a point where they had been accustomed to cross 
as they passed back and forth on their expeditions. They 
then took up their residence in these cabins and called 
their settlement Ste. Genevieve. It went also by the 
name of "Misere." It is not known just when the first 
cabins were built, but it is generally thought to have been 
about 1735. Some have fixed the date rather definitely 
at 1732. The founders of this place were led to select 
the site they built upon, not only because it was on their 
way from Kaskaskia to the lead mines on the Meramec, 
but also because of the salt springs near by and the ex- 
cellent bottom lands lying all around. Several persons 
in the new village soon began to make salt, which they 
disposed of to Indians, hunters, and other persons in the 
near-by settlements. 

Before Ste. Genevieve was founded, the Illinois miners 
in the Meramec region had been accustomed to take their 
lead to Fort Chartres, but after Ste. Genevieve was es- 
tablished, they deposited it at that place. The lead was 
usually molded in the shape of collars, which were hung 
upon the necks of the pack horses. Later it was molded 
into pigs and carted in two-wheeled French carts called 
charettes. The surplus lead which was not needed for 
local purposes was sent down the Mississippi in boats to 
New Orleans, and then loaded on ships and sent to 
France. 

The first settlers of Ste. Genevieve built their cabins 
near the river, just below what was called "The Big 
Common Field." But fifty years later, owing to the 



EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI 1 3 



encroachments of the river, the town was moved to higher 
ground about three miles up the river. It was in 1780 
that the banks of the river began to cave in along the 
front of the village, and this forced the inhabitants to 
begin to think of moving. In 1784 some of them built 
houses on the site of the present town of Ste. Genevieve. 
The great overflow of the Mississippi in 1785, the year of 
the "Great Waters," as the French called it, caused many 
more to leave the old town for the new one ; but it was 
not until 1791 that the original site was completely 
abandoned. Since then this site has been entirely washed 
away. After the new town was established, a still greater 
number of people came from Kaskaskia to take up their 
residence here.^ 

It was nearly thirty years after Ste. Genevieve was 
founded that St. Louis, the second permanent white 
settlement in what is now Missouri, was established. In 
1762 Maxent, a wealthy merchant of New Orleans, ob- 
tained from the French governor of Louisiana a grant 
giving him the exclusive right to trade with the Indians 
on the Missouri River for a period of eight years. ^ Maxent 
associated with himself a man by the name of Pierre 
Laclede Li guest, commonly known as Laclede. It seems 
that the former furnished the money for the enterprise 
and the latter agreed to conduct it. The firm was known 
as Maxent, Laclede and Company, or commonly as "The 
Louisiana Fur Company." 



St. Louis, 
the Second 
Permanent 
Settlement 
in Missouri 



I. Grant to 
Maxent, 
Laclede and 
Company 



^ Ste. Genevieve never grew to be a large place. By 1800 it had 
a population of 1792, and since then its population has not varied 
much from that number. Only once has the population exceeded 
2000, and that was in 1850, when it reached 2258. In 1910 it was 
1967. Owing to a change in the course of the Mississippi River, 
the present town of Ste. Genevieve is now three miles west of that 
river. 

^ A test case was made in 1 765 of this grant conferring the ex- 
clusive right to the Indian trade on the Missouri River, and the 
Supreme Council at New Orleans decided against the company's 
claims to that right. 



14 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Selection 
of the Site 
by Laclede 




Pierre Laclede 
The founder of St. Louis 

From Stevens' Missouri, 
the Center Slate, by permis- 
sion of the Missouri Histor- 
ical Society. 



for a settlement 
would become the center 
of the trade operations 
which his firm was going 
to carry on with the In- 
dians. He finally decided 
upon a low bluff a few 
miles south of the Mis- 
souri River. Here the 
channel of the Mississippi 
ran near the shore, which 
made it possible to bring the 
boats close to the landing. 
The bank was high enough 
to give protection from 
floods, but not so high as 
to interfere with loading 



Preparations having been com- 
pleted, Laclede left New Orleans on 
August 3, 1763, and sailed up the 
Mississippi to Ste. Genevieve, arriv- 
ing there about three months later, 
after a very tedious journey. He 
had under his command a large force 
of mechanics, trappers, and hunters, 
and he brought with him a suitable 
lot of merchandise to trade with the 
Indians. Finding no accommoda- 
tions for his stores at Ste. Gene- 
vieve, he proceeded farther up the 
river to Fort Chartres. Here he 
found a place to store his goods 
and also a home for his family. 

During the month of December, 

Laclede searched along the west 

bank of the Mississippi as far north 

as the Missouri for a suitable place 

which 




Madame Chouteau, Wife of 
Laclede 

From Houck's History of Missouri, 



EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI 1 5 



and unloading the cargoes ; and back from the bank 
was a bench of level ground broad enough for the pro- 
posed village. Laclede not only saw these advantages 
of the place, but also was impressed by its beautiful 
surroundings. On returning to Fort Chartres he is 
said to have remarked to Governor De Noyen and his 
officers : "I have found a situation where I intend estab- 
lishing a settlement which, in the future, shall become one 
of the most beautiful cities of the world." 

In February, 1764, the river was sufficiently free from 
ice to enable Laclede to send his stepson, Auguste Chou- 
teau, a boy only thirteen 
and a half years old, by 
boat to the chosen site 
with orders to begin erect- 
ing buildings. Chouteau 
landed there on February 
15, and put to work the 
men and boys who had 
been sent with him. La- 
clede came over a little 
later, leaving his family 
for the time being at 
Cahokia. By fall he was 
able to move his family 
to St. Louis and to house 
them in the building 
which had been erected 
for him. 

The plan of the village, 
as it was laid out by La- 
clede, provided for only one street parallel with the river, 
which he named La Rue Royale or Royal Street. The 
name was later changed to La Rue Principale or Principal 
Street, and still later to Main Street, its present name. 
In the course of the next twenty years two other streets 
parallel to the first one were laid off and were called La 




Auguste Chouteau 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center 
State, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 



3. Founding 
of the Village, 
February 15, 
1764 



4. Plan of 
the Village 



i6 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Rue de L'Eglise (Church 
Street) and La Rue des 
Granges (Barn Street). 
They are now known as 
Second and Third streets. 
Cross streets running 
west from the river were 
also laid ofif. For a long 
time the village remained 
"under the hill," that is, 
on the first terrace that 
runs immediately above 
the bank of the river. It 
was several years before 
the town "climbed the 
hill" just west of Third 
street. 

Laclede selected as the 
site of his residence a tract 
or square bounded by what 
are now called Main, Sec- 
ond, Walnut, and Market 
streets. The block ad- 
joining his on the east was 
called La Place d'Armes (The Place of Arms), and on the 
block directly to the west was built the first church in the 
village. From that day to this there has always been a 
Catholic church building on this block. The building 
now standing on it is the old cathedral of St. Louis. 

There was nothing in the grant that had been given to 
Maxent, Laclede and Company which authorized them 
to lay out a settlement or to^ assign to different persons 
tracts of land. But Laclede did both of these things, and 
later the government conferred legal titles to the land 
upon the people to whom grants had been made by him. 

' See the map of St. Louis in Chapter XVI for the location of the 
original village within the limits of the present city of St. Louis. 




Plan of St. Louis, i 764-80 ' 

Adapted from Scharf's History of 
St. Louis. 



EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI 



17 



Laclede named the settlement St. Louis, in honor of 5- Names 
France's most noted king, Louis IX, commonly known as 
St. Louis, who reigned in the thirteenth century. The 
town was often called in early days ''Laclede's Village," 
in honor of Laclede ; it also went by the name of ' ' Pain 
Court " (short of bread), probably because of the difficulty 
which the settlers had in raising sufficient food supplies 
for themselves. The people of Kaskaskia are said to have 




]»iJ[«'ni!/!;r i ^' ^.y 



Spanish 
Forts at the 
Mouth of 



Laclede's House in St. Louis 
From Houck's History of Missouri. 

been responsible for the derisive nicknames which many of 
the villages in what is now Missouri bore in early times, 
such as "Pain Court" for St. Louis and "Misdre" for 
Ste. Genevieve. 

As far as we know, Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis were 
the only existing settlements in what is now Missouri 
when O'Reilly arrived in New Orleans in 1769 to assume the Missouri 
the duties of commandant general for the Spanish *^" 
government over the province of Louisiana, unless the 
garrison in the fort built in 1767 by that government at 
the mouth of the Missouri River be called a settlement. 

In 1766 the Spanish government sent D'Ulloa to New 
Orleans to take control of the newly acquired territory, 
but since he found that he would not be able to get it 
unless he used force, he declined to do so and finally re- 
turned to Spain in 1768. But while in New Orleans he 



i8 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Conditions 
in Missouri, 
1765-70 

I. Emigra- 
tion from 
French 
Illinois Set- 
tlements into 
Missouri 



sent a body of men under Captain Rui up the Mississippi 
to establish two forts at the mouth of the Missouri, one 
on the north bank and one on the south. The reason 
assigned by D'UUoa for projecting these forts was to keep 
the Enghsh, who were then holding territory on the east 
side of the Mississippi, from attempting to ascend the 
Missouri and establishing settlements there. It was 
later found advisable to erect only one of these forts, the 
one on the south bank. To this fort was given the rather 
high-sounding name of "El Principe de Asturias — Senor 
Don Carlos," in honor of Charles, Prince of the Asturias 
and heir apparent to the throne of Spain. A block house 
was, however, built on the north side of the mouth of 
the river, to which was given the name of "Don Carlos 
Tercero el Rey," in honor of Charles III, King of Spain. 
But as the garrison in the fort built on the south side was 
always small, and as no permanent settlement developed 
therefrom, we may disregard it in this connection and 
consider that, as has been said, there were in 1769 only 
two white settlements in what is now Missouri, namely, 
Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis. ^ 

But by this time these two settlements had grown 
considerably, their population numbering between 900 
and 1000. The chief cause for this growth had been the 
emigration of the French from their settlements in the 
Illinois country. By the time Laclede had begun to 
establish St. Louis, the French settlers in the Illinois 
country had heard of the cession of Louisiana that had 
been made by France to England and Spain. They were 

1 It is frequently stated in the diflEerent histories of Missouri that 
Carondelet was founded in 1767. If that were the case, this 
place should be included in the account that is being given in this 
chapter. But, as a matter of fact, nothing had been done by 1769 
toward founding the settlement that ultimately came to be known 
as Carondelet except that in 1767 Delor de Treget had built a stone 
house near the mouth of the River des Peres. As far as is known, 
no village had grown up around his residence by 1769. An account 
of the founding of this village will be given in a subsequent chapter. 



EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI 1 9 

considerably disturbed over this, particularly over the 
cession of territory to England. In all probability 
Laclede took advantage of this disturbed state of mind 
of the French settlers in the Illinois country, and doubtless 
urged them to move to the new village he was going to 
lay out. It has also been suggested that he advised the 
French officials at Fort Chartres, who had jurisdiction 
over not only the Illinois settlements, but also those in the 
Missouri country, to make St. Louis the seat of govern- 
ment of France for the Missouri region as soon as the 
English should take possession of the Ilhnois country. 
However this may be, it is a fact that as soon as the English 
officers arrived to assume control of the IlHnois country 
in 1765, the French proceeded to abandon their homes 
there in large numbers and to move either down to New 
Orleans or across the Mississippi to the Missouri country.* 

St. Philippe was abandoned by its entire population, 
excepting the captain of the militia, and it is said that the 
people of this village actually tore down their homes and 
carried them across the river to the Missouri country. 
All the inhabitants of Fort Chartres, except three or four 
families, moved to Missouri, and many came also from 
the other settlements in the Illinois country. ^ 

Life in these two villages, Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis, 
was marked with a good deal of license and laxity of 

1 Comparatively few went to New Orleans. Eighty accompanied 
the Commandant, De Villiers, to that place in June, 1764, but many 
of them afterward came back. Most of the IlHnois emigrants 
crossed the Mississippi into the Missouri country. 

2 Captain Stirling, the English commissioner, who took formal 
possession of the territory which England had acquired by the 
Treaty of Paris, wrote in 1765 that he had done all in his power 
to prevent the French from abandoning their homes in the Illinois 
country and going to the Missouri side ; but since he was not in a 
condition to send troops to the ferries at Cahokia and Kaskaskia, 
he could not check their emigration. He furthermore said that 
unless gentle methods were used, the few that remained would 
also leave. 



20 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Life in 
the French 
Settlements 
in Missouri 



3. Arrival of 
Piernas in 
St. Louis, 
1770 



conduct, if we are to believe a report that was made in 
1769 to O'Reilly by Piernas, who had served as com- 
mandant on the Missouri prior to O'Reilly's arrival. 
Religion was said to have been wholly neglected, and 
everybody did as he pleased. Besides the inhabitants 
who were settled in the villages, there were many un- 
attached persons who wandered around over the country, 
spending their time in hunting and in immoral excesses 
between their hunts. Perhaps conditions were not as 
bad as Piernas painted them, but we are doubtless safe 
in concluding that life was far from being orderly or 
elevating at this time. 

After assuming control of affairs at New Orleans, 
O'Reilly sent Piernas to take charge of the upper portion 
of the colony. When Piernas arrived in St. Louis in 
May, 1770, he found St. Ange in charge of matters.^ 
St. Ange had been the French governor of Upper Louisiana 
at the time when France ceded the whole of Louisiana to 
England and Spain, and had moved in 1765 from Fort 
Chartres with his garrison to St. Louis when the English 
officials reached the Illinois country to assume control. 
It is rather significant that O'Reilly in his instructions to 
Piernas enjoined him to do all he could to make the 
domination of Spain loved and respected in the Missouri 
country. 

The population of St. Louis did not increase as rapidly 
in the next few years after 1770 as it had in the five years 
previous, inasmuch as the French in the Illinois country 
had by 1770 recovered from their alarm over the ac- 
quisition of that territory by the English, and had stopped 
their emigration to the Missouri region. 

' Owing to the numerous grants of lots that St. Ange made to 
settlers in St. Louis from 1766 to 1770, he has been called the 
"legal founder of St. Louis." 



EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN MISSOURI 21 

REFERENCES 

[For an explanation as to the character of the references given at the close of 
each chapter, see the preface.] 

Explorations of Marquette, Joliet, and La Salle — Carr, Missouri, 
ch. I. Houck, History of Missouri, vol. i, ch. vi. A most elaborate 
work on the early periods of Missouri history. The author is one 
of Missouri's most distinguished citizens. He has been exceedingly 
generous in the use of his means and time in investigating the early 
history of the State and has brought to light for the first time much 
historical material. His work stands unparalleled in the writing 
of Missouri history, for which he deserves the gratitude of all 
patriotic Missourians. Hosmer, Short History of the Mississippi 
Valley, ch. ii. Thwaites, France in America, ch. iv. Parkman, La 
Salle and the Discovery of the Great West. The great classic on the 
early French explorations of the Mississippi. 

Early Illinois Settlements — Alvord, The Country of Illinois, in 
the Illinois Historical Society Collections, vol. ii, Introduction. A 
very detailed and scholarly account of the early French settlements 
in Illinois, written from recently discovered documents. Pittman, 
The Present State of European Settlements on the Mississippi, pp. 
84-93, 99-105. This book was written by an English army captain 
who served in the Florida and Illinois regions during the later 
sixties of the eighteenth century. It was written to impress the 
English people with the advantages of possessing the Floridas 
and the Mississippi, and was published originally in 1770. Re- 
printed in 1906. Thwaites, France in America, ch. v. 

River des Peres Settlement and Fort Orleans — Houck, i, ch. 
viii. Stipes, "Fort Orleans," in the Missouri Historical Review, 
April, 1914, pp. 121-136. A sketch of the fort and an effort to 
settle the question as to its exact location. 

Early Lead Mining in Missouri — Houck, i, ch. ix. 

Founding of Ste. Genevieve and vSt. Louis — Houck, i, pp. 337- 
355 ; ii, 1-33. Carr, ch. ii. Pittman, pp. 94-96. 

Spanish Forts on the Missouri River — Houck, Spanish Regime, 
vol. i, pp. 1-35. In this work of two volumes there have been brought 
together the most important documents on the Spanish period of 
Missouri history that were unearthed by Mr. Houck during his 
researches. The originals of these documents are in the archives 
at Seville. 



CHAPTER II 



George 

Rogers 

Clark 

Expedition, 

1778-79 



I. Coopera- 
tion of 
Spanish 
Authorifies 
at New Or- 
leans with 
Virginia 



THE ENGLISH ATTACK UPON ST. LOUIS IN 1780 

[Historical Setting. — The George Rogers Clark Expedition 
of 1778-79, and the alliance made in 1778 between France and 
the revolting English Colonies in America.] 

In 1780 the English made an attack upon the little 
village of St. Louis, which was at that time under the 
government of Spain, having been acquired as a part of 
the territory which had been ceded by France to Spain 

by the Treaty of Fontaine- 
bleau in 1 7 6 2 . In order that 
we may understand what 
induced the English to make 
this attack, we must remind 
ourselves of the George 
Rogers Clark Expedition in 
1778-79, and of the relations 
between England and Spain 
at that time. 

The Clark Expedition, 
which had resulted in the 
capture of the English posts 
of Kaskaskia and Cahokia in 
what is now Illinois, and of 
Vincennes in what is now Indiana, had been carried out 
under the authority and with the assistance of Patrick 
Henry, governor of Virginia. But Governor Henry seems 
to have had in mind more than one plan of harassing and 
attacking the English. This is evident from the fact 
that, even before the Clark Expedition was undertaken, 




George Rogers Clark 



THE ENGLISH ATTACK UPON ST. LOUIS IN 1780 23 



he had been negotiating with the Spanish governor at 
New Orleans for assistance against the EngHsh. As a 
result of these negotiations, arms, ammunition, and pro- 
visions were sent by the Spanish authorities at New 
Orleans to the Americans who were living in certain 
Mississippi River posts and along the frontiers of Vir- 
ginia and Pennsylvania. Moreover, English vessels along 
the lower Mississippi were seized and confiscated, on the 
order of the Spanish governor, with such success that by 
1778 the British flag had been completely excluded from 
that river. 

From these facts it will be seen that there was close 
cooperation between the Spanish authorities in Louisiana 
and the Americans for soine time before Spain declared 
war against England in 1779. In April of that year she 
made a treaty of alliance with France against England, 
and in the following June she issued her formal declara- 
tion of war. France had been at war with England about 
one year at the time when Spain took this step. Judging 
from the treaty made between France and Spain, one 
would say that the chief object of Spain in declaring war 
against England seems to have been to get the territory 
which the English had acquired from France east of the 
Mississippi River by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Shortly 
after Spain declared war upon England, Galvez, the Span- 
ish governor at New Orleans, took possession of several 
English posts, among which were Fort Manchac, Baton 
Rouge, and Natchez on the lower Mississippi, and Mo- 
bile and Pensacola in Florida. 

Meanwhile, Clark had captured Kaskaskia, Cahokia, 
and Vincennes. Moreover, he had received active as- 
sistance from the French settlers in the Missouri country 
in the form of food supplies, thus making it easier for 
him to retain his hold upon the territory which he had 
captured. 

It was, therefore, a very interesting combination of 
circumstances that led England in 1780 to turn her atten- 



2. Declara- 
tion of War 
by Spain 
against Eng- 
land, 1779 



3. Capture 
of Illinois 
Settlements 



24 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Plan of 
England for 
an Expedi- 
tion down 
the 
Mississippi 




nxntiinRoa/e of George Ro^en 
Bouie of Indian 

*♦ * ♦ Route Of Ham. 



Map showing the Route of George Rogers Clark (1778) and 
THE Route of the Indians against St. Louis (1780) 

tion to the situation along the Mississippi. She had 
sustained losses at the hands of the Americans under Clark 
in the Illinois and Indiana regions, and also at the hands 
of the Spanish under Galvez along the lower Mississippi. 
Naturally she wanted to recover these losses. Moreover, 
the territory west of the Mississippi, which was famed for 
its productive fur trade, from which she had hitherto 
been cut off, was in the hands of Spain, which had recently 
joined France in war against her ; and finally, this territory 
was inhabited by French who were friendly to the Ameri- 
cans. England therefore considered the moment as op- 



THE ENGLISH ATTACK UPON ST. LOUIS IN 1780 25 

portune to attempt not only the recovery of the places 
that had been seized by Clark and Galvez east of the 
Mississippi River, but also the capture of the whole of 
Spanish Louisiana. Plans accordingly were laid for the 
seizure of St. Louis and of the Illinois villages, and for a 
descent upon New Orleans. It is because the attack upon 
St. Louis in 1780 was a part of this comprehensive scheme 
of conquest that the event has any historical significance 
which would justify our giving it attention here. 

The English authorities evidently planned to depend 
very largely upon the Indians for the success of these 
campaigns, and for this purpose several tribes in the 
region of the Great Lakes were enlisted in the cause. 
In May, 1780, a force of almost 950 traders, servants, 
and Indians, under the leadership of a man named Hesse, 
set out from the portage of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers 
for St. Louis, a journey of about 500 miles. ^ They came 
down the Wisconsin to the Mississippi, and thence down 
the Mississippi to St. Louis. At the same time the 
English organized three other expeditions, made up largely 
of Indians, and sent them from the region of the Great 
Lakes into what are now Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. 

St. Louis was at the time of the attack a village of about St. Louis 
120 houses, built chiefly of stone, and had a population *° ^780 
of about 800, most of whom were French.^ The village 
was in a fairly flourishing condition, omng to the great 

1 While the Indian forces were being brought together, a boat 
belonging to Charles Gratiot, a merchant at Cahokia, was cap- 
tured by a detachment of Indians at Prairie du Chien in March, 
1780. There is some ground, however, for suspecting that the 
cargo was intended as supplies for the Indians and was being gathered 
for the expedition down the Mississippi and not for trade. At any 
rate, the Indians were supplied with provisions and ammunition from 
the pillage of the boat, without which, it has been asserted, the expe- 
dition against St. Louis could not have been ver>' well carried out. 

2 .St . Louis was known to the English as Paincourt or Pencour 
or Pancors, which meant "short of bread." In all of their official 
documents it is never mentioned bv the name of St. Louis. 



26 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

activity of the fur trade that was centered there. The 
Spanish garrison contained about fifty men under the 
command of Captain Fernando de Leyba. Several new 
villages had been established in the vicinity of St. Louis 
since it had been founded, among which were St. Charles 
and Carondelet. 

The village of St. Louis was in no condition to defend 
itself against any well-organized attack.^ Like practically 
all the other early French settlements in the Illinois and 
Missouri regions, it was open and undefended. In 
this respect these French settlements differed from those 
which had been made by the Americans in Kentucky and 
Tennessee, in that the early settlers in Kentucky and 
Tennessee always regarded the Indians as their enemies, 
and hence invariably built stockaded posts, while the 
French made friends of the Indians and left their settle- 
ments largely unprotected. But when word was brought 
to St. Louis the last of March, 1780, by a trader who was 
going down the Mississippi, that there were rumors of 
an Indian expedition against the settlements in that 
region, preparations for defense were begun. When the 
rumor was confirmed by another traveler from the upper 
Mississippi region, the post at the mouth of the Missouri 
was evacuated and the fort blown up, and all the other 
outposts were called in. A platform or tower was erected 
at one end of the village of St. Louis, upon which were 
placed five cannons ; in addition, intrenchmehts were 
thrown up about the village. Scouts were sent out and 
cavalrymen were stationed around the village as picket 
guards. A force of 29 regulars and 281 villagers manned 
the intrenchments during the attack. 

The Indians reached the village at about one o'clock 
on the afternoon of May 26, 1780. They had left their 

' Soon after this attack the people of St. Louis erected a line of 
permanent fortifications around the village, and they guarded it 
faithfully for a long time. The Indians, however, never made 
another attack upon the place after this one of 1780. 



THE ENGLISH ATTACK UPON ST. LOUIS IN 1780 27 

canoes at a place about fourteen miles above St. Louis, The Attack, 
where they had divided themselves into two groups, one g^^ ' 
going down the west bank to St. Louis, the other going 
down the east bank toward Cahokia.^ As soon as those 
advancing down the west bank were seen by the scouts 
guarding St. Louis, the alarm was sounded, — a man run- 
ning through the streets crying out "To arms, to arms!" 
An alarm gun was shot from the tower to warn the men 
working in the fields and the women and children who were 
out after strawberries. Many of these were shot by 
the Indians from ambush as they tried to return to town. 
According to the only detailed contemporaneous report 
that we have of this engagement, the enemy "began the 
attack upon the post from the north side, expecting to 
meet no opposition ; but they found themselves unex- 
pectedly repulsed by the militia which guarded it. A 
vigorous fire was kept up on both sides so that by the 
service done by the cannon on the tower where the com- 
mander (Captain de Leyba) was, the defenders at last 
succeeded in keeping off a band of villains, who, if they 
had not opportunely been met by this bold opposition 
on our part, would not have left a trace of our settle- 
ments. There were also to be heard the confusion and 

1 The division going down the east bank was under the leader- 
ship of Ducharme, who had joined the expedition possibly in re- 
venge for the treatment that had been accorded him by the Spanish 
authorities along the upper Mississippi. He was a British subject 
from Canada and an active Indian trader. About 1772 he had 
stolen past the Spanish garrison at the mouth of the Missouri 
River, and pushing up that stream had established himself on what 
is now called Loutre Island. On being discovered at his illegal 
traffic, his goods were seized and confiscated, and he barely escaped 
with his life. For these reasons he was seeking revenge against the 
Spanish authorities, and accordingly joined this expedition against 
St. Louis in 1780. In fact, it was believed by some that he in- 
stigated the expedition. Ducharme does not seem to have been 
in the actual attack upon St. Louis, but his party fired their 
guns across the river and struck the roofs of the houses in the 
village. 



28 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

the lamentable cries of the women and children who had 
been shut up in the house of the commandant, defended 
by twenty men under the lieutenant of infantry, Don 
Francisco Cartabona ; the dolorous echoes of which 
seemed to inspire in the besieged an extraordinary valor 
and spirit, for they urgently demanded to be permitted 
to make a sally. The enemy at last seeing that their 
force was useless against such resistance, scattered about 
over the country, where they found several farmers, who, 
with their slaves, were occupied in the labors of the field. 
If these hungry wolves had contented themselves with 
destroying the crops, if they had killed all the cattle which 
they could not take with them, this act would have been 
looked upon as a consequence of war ; but when the learned 
world shall know that this desperate band slaked their 
thirst in the blood of innocent victims, and sacrificed to 
their fury all whom they found, cruelly destroying them 
and committing the greatest atrocities upon some poor 
people who had no other arms than those of the good faith 
in which they lived, the English nation from now on may 
add to its glorious conquests in the present war that of 
having barbarously inflicted by the hands of these base 
instruments of cruelty the most bitter torments which 
tyranny has invented." 

As might be expected, there is no agreement in the 
different reports as to the casualties. According to the 
Spanish report, from which the above quotation was made, 
twenty-nine were killed and twenty-four taken prisoners. 
According to an English report, there were seventy-four 
persons killed, fifty-three scalped, and thirty-four taken 
prisoners. And according to another, sixty-eight were 
killed, forty-three scalped, and eighteen taken prisoners. 

A day or two after the attack upon St. Louis an attempt 
was made by the Indians to take Cahokia, but this like- 
wise failed. Thereupon the Indians returned to their 
homes in two divisions, one going up the Mississippi, the 
other across the country to Mackinac. 



THE ENGLISH ATTACK UPON ST. LOUIS IN 1780 29 

Three reasons were assigned by Sinclair, the EngHsh Causes of 
Heutenant governor, for the failure of this expedition : t^^^^^r® 
(i) The treachery of the two interpreters, Calve and Expedition 
Ducharme, who had been put in charge of the companies 
of Indians, and who failed at the critical moments of the 
expedition to do their duty. These two men were part- 
ners in trade and had been promised by the British agents 
certain advantages along the Missouri River if they would 
assist in taking the territory along that river from the 
Spanish. (2) The lack of secrecy. Word was brought 
to St. Louis at least two months before the attack that 
an expedition was preparing. (3) The backwardness of 
the Canadians who took part in the expedition. 

Another reason, however, has been assigned for the 
precipitate retreat of the Indians to their homes, and that 
is the sudden appearance of George Rogers Clark at 
Cahokia, just after the attack upon St. Louis. Clark 
was supposed by the English to be at the Falls of the 
Ohio at the time of the attack, and hence safely out of 
the way. As a matter of fact he was not there, but had 
been for a month at the Iron Banks, five miles below the 
mouth of the Ohio, where he was engaged in building a 
fort. He had, however, been advised by the citizens of 
Cahokia of the impending attack by the Indians, and had 
set out on May 13 for that place. On his way he received 
a message from De Leyba urging him to return. 

It has frequently been asserted that Clark sent troops 
to St. Louis to assist in warding off the attack, and that 
he himself appeared on the scene during the attack. But 
there seems to be no foundation for these assertions. 
Even though he did not do what has been said of him, 
there is good ground for believing that the knowledge 
that he had arrived unexpectedly at Cahokia had a great 
deal to do with causing the Indians to withdraw. His 
name seemed to inspire fear among them. Moreover, 
he organized a force of 350 men, including regulars, 
French volunteers from the Illinois post, and Spaniards 



30 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Signifi- 
cance of the 
Attack 



Spanish 
Expedition 
against St. 
Joseph, 
Mich., 1781 



in St. Louis, and sent them against the Indians that had 
retreated up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. This 
movement of his insured St. Louis against any further 
molestation by the Indians for the time at least, and it 
may be that this is what he had in mind when he said 
that he had sent 300 men to the relief of St. Louis. 

From what has been said, it is evident that the attack 
upon St. Louis is noteworthy, not as a military event, but 
because it was a part of a very comprehensive scheme 
on the part of the English to wrest great stretches of 
territory away from the Americans and the Spaniards. 
Had this scheme in all of its phases been carried out, 
the work of Clark in the Illinois and Indiana regions 
would have gone for naught, and all prospects of the 
Americans acquiring from England the territory between 
the Alleghanies and the Mississippi would have been 
considerably lessened if not completely obliterated. 
Also, the English would have acquired the territory 
west of the Mississippi, thus placing the whole of the 
Mississippi Valley in their hands. That this scheme 
did not carry is due to the failure of the Indian expedition 
at St. Louis. It is true that the scheme might subse- 
quently have fallen through, even if St. Louis had been 
taken in May, 1780, but as to that no one can say. 

The attack upon St. Louis by the English was answered 
the next year by a counter attack by the Spaniards upon 
an English fort called St. Joseph, on the southeast shore 
of Lake Michigan. In January, 1781, Cruzat, the Span- 
ish lieutenant governor of Upper Louisiana, organ- 
ized a military expedition in St. Louis to invade the 
British possessions lying along the Great Lakes. The 
force consisted of 66 Spaniards and French and 60 Indians. 
They marched in midwinter through the wilderness 
from St. Louis to St. Joseph, and on arriving they plun- 
dered the fort and distributed among their Indian allies 
the supplies that were found there. After remaining at 
the fort a few days, the expedition returned to St. Louis, 



THE ENGLISH ATTACK UPON ST. LOUIS IN 1780 3 1 

bringing the British flag which had been taken at St. 
Joseph and delivering it to Cruzat. It should here be 
said that this capture of St. Joseph was made a basis for 
claims to territory which Spain demanded in the region of 
the Great Lakes while negotiations for peace were being 
made at the close of the American Revolution, in 1783. 

A little over a month after the attack upon St. Louis, DeLeyba 
De Leyba died and was buried in the little church of the 
village of St. Louis. It is said that he died from poison 
administered by his own hand on account of dissipation 
and remorse. It has been the habit of historians to con- 
demn him unreservedly and to heap upon his memory 
nothing but obloquy. He has been called a traitor and 
a coward, and is said to have been so drunk at the time of 
the attack upon St. Louis that he locked himself up in 
his house and left the villagers to defend themselves as 
best they could. In recent times, however, he has had 
his defenders who have sought to recover his reputation 
and good name. Among them is Louis Houck, who de- 
clares in his History of Missouri that "the archives of 
Spain show that he was a man of clear intelligence, business 
knowledge, and sound judgment. His insight into prin- 
ciples of law and his impartiality in the administration 
of justice are unmistakable evidences of these qualities. 
He was on terms of intimacy with George Rogers Clark 
and omitted nothing in his power to show his attachment 
to the American cause during the Revolution. As soon 
as Clark took possession of the Illinois country, he opened 
up a correspondence with him, and Clark says he was 
surprised to find him free from the reserve that charac- 
terizes the Spaniards." 

REFERENCES 

Houck, History of Missouri, ii, pp. 33-46. James, Significance of the 
Attack on St. Louis, in the Proceedings of the Mississippi Valley Histor- 
ical Association for 1908-09, pp. 199-217. A special study of the 
subject with particular relation to the George Rogers Clark expedition. 



CHAPTER III 

CONDITIONS IN MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH 
PERIOD 

[Historical Setting. — The purchase of Louisiana from France 
in 1803, with emphasis on the retrocession of Louisiana from 
Spain to France by the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800, and 
on the negotiations that led up to the purchase in 1803.] 

I. The Growth of Settlements 

In a preceding chapter we saw something of the situ- 
ation in what is now Missouri at the time when Spain ac- 
quired it as a part of the territory which France had 
ceded to her by the Treaty of Fontainebleau in 1762. It 
is now proposed to bring under review the conditions in 
this same region at the time when the United States ac- 
quired it as part of the Louisiana Purchase from France 
— that is, in 1803. 
Transfer of After the treaty ceding Louisiana to the United States 
Louisiana ^^^^ been ratified by Congress, the formal transfer of the 

from France ^ o > 

to the territory had to be made. But before this could be ac- 

complished, it was necessary for France to acquire actual 
possession of the territory from Spain. For, in spite of 
the fact that Spain had by the Treaty of San Ildefonso 
in 1800 agreed to return Louisiana to France, the actual 
transfer had not yet been made when France agreed in 
April, 1803, to sell it to the United States, nor even yet 
when Congress ratified the treaty in October of that same 
year. France had had a representative at New Orleans 
ever since the Treaty of San Ildefonso had been made in 
1800, but he did not assume authority over Lower Lou- 
isiana until December, 1803. What is more, the formal 

32 



United 
States 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 33 




The Louisiana Purchase 

transfer of Upper Louisiana was not made at St. Louis 
until March 9, 1804, and when it took place an American 
acted as the agent of the French government. Acting 




um 



The Government House in St. Louis in 1804 

This building stood on what is now the comer of Walnut and Main streets. 
In it the formal transfer of Upper Louisiana from France to the United States 
took place on March 9, 1804. From Houck's History of Missouri. 

under orders from Laussat, the French governor general 
of Louisiana at New Orleans, Captain Amos Stoddard 
of the American arniy went from New Orleans to St. 



34 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Louis, where he received from De Lassus, the Spanish 
lieutenant governor, the possession of Upper Louisiana 
on March 9, 1804, for the government of France. With 
special ceremony the Spanish flag was lowered and the 
flag of France was raised in its stead. 

But this ceremony was followed on the same day by 
another which marked the transfer of Upper Louisiana 
from France to the United States. Captain Stoddard 
had not only been commissioned to receive this territory 

from Spain for France, but 
had also been authorized 
to act for the United States 
and to declare the formal 
transfer of the same terri- 
tory from France to the 
United States. He there- 
fore lowered the French 
flag shortly after it had 
been raised, and ran up 
the American flag in its 
place. ^ He thereupon 
assumed the duties of 
governor of Upper Louisi- 
ana for the United States. 
Former Governor De 
Lassus then sent proc- 
lamations to the different 
settlements in what is now 
Missouri, notifying them 
of the transfers that had been made. 

At the time of the transfer the region that is now Mis- 




De Lassus 

The last Spanish governor of Upper 
Louisiana. From Stevens' Missouri, 
the Center State, by permission of the 
Missouri Historical Society. 



1 According to another story by Pierre Choteau, brother of 
Auguste Choteau, some of the French Creoles at St. Louis asked 
Stoddard to leave the French flag up till the next day, and he granted 
the request. A guard of honor was then formed by the French and 
was set around it to watch all night. On the next day, March 10, 
the French flag was taken down and the American flag raised. 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 35 

souri had a population of 10,000 as compared with 1000 in Causes of 
1760, when, as we have seen, Spain assumed control of J^ij^jgration 

' . . ' . . . to Missouri, 

Louisiana. This tenfold increase was due in great part 1 769-1804 
to migration from the regions east of the Mississippi, 
which poured into the Missouri country in two dif- 
ferent streams, one coming from the French settlements 
in the Illinois country and the other coming from the 
American settlements that had more recently been es- 
tablished in Kentucky and Tennessee. 

The causes for this immigration into the Missouri coun- 
try may be summarized as follows : 

I. The disorder that prevailed from 1778 to 1790 in i. Disorder 
the settlements in the Illinois country. This had been "} the Illinois 

. . Country, 

brought on largely by the misrule of the Virginia common- 1778-90 
wealth in this region. It will be recalled that in 1778 
George Rogers Clark had made his expedition into the 
Illinois country under the authority of the governor of 
Virginia. After he had conquered this territory, it was 
established as the county of Illinois and made a part of 
Virginia. The French settlers in this region had wel- 
comed Clark and had aided him in every possible way, and 
for a few months they had enjoyed peace under his mild 
rule. But it was not long before they had occasion to 
regret his coming, and for ten years thereafter they were (a) Virginia 
subjected to conditions that were almost intolerable. Misrule 
For one thing, Clark's frontier soldiers soon found them- 
selves in great need, and they began foraging upon the 
French settlers at will. Moreover, the civil government 
that Virginia established in the country proved to be in- 
efficient and was shortly replaced by a military rule that 
was oppressive. The French settlers also found themselves 
the victims of worthless continental currency and of 
American land speculators who had followed Clark into 
this country. The situation did not improve even after 
Virginia discontinued her authority in this region in 1782. 
In fact, there was no legalized government there from 
1782 to 1790, and anarchy very generally prevailed. 



36 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(b) Peace 
between 
England and 
the United 
States 



2. North- 
west Ordi- 
nance, 1787 



Under such circumstances as have briefly been outhned, 
it is not at all surprising to find that very shortly 
after Clark came to the Illinois country the French settlers 
began to move across to the "Spanish bank, " as the region 
west of the Mississippi River was then called, and that 
they continued to go in a rather steady stream for ten 
years or more. Among the emigrants were some of the 
most important and progressive of the French inhabitants. 
As a result of this emigration, some of the Illinois vil- 
lages came very nearly being depopulated. The loss sus- 
tained by Kaskaskia was very large. In 1778 there were 
about 500 people living there. By 1790 the town had 
been reduced to about 250.^ 

Meanwhile, peace was made between England and the 
United States in 1783, whereby the United States came 
into the undisputed ownership of the territory between 
the Mississippi River and the Alleghany Mountains. 
This had, however, no reassuring efifect upon the early 
settlers in the "American Bottom," as the region of the 
French settlements in the Illinois country now came to 
be called. These settlers had been somewhat buoyed up 
during the few troublous years of the Virginia rule by the 
hope that either France or England would regain this ter- 
ritory ; and when these hopes had failed them, they saw 
no prospect of matters becoming better. The migra- 
tion from the Illinois to the Missouri country therefore 
continued for several years after peace was declared with 
England, at least until the nineties of that century. 

2. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787. This ordinance 
prohibited slavery in the region north of the Ohio River 
and south of the Great Lakes. The effect of this pro- 
hibition, as far as what is now Missouri is concerned, was 
to drive many people who were living in the Northwest 



1 Notwithstanding the hardships which the French settlers en- 
dured at the hands of the Virginia officials, they never bore any ill 
will against Clark. They liked him personally and responded to 
all his calls upon them for assistance up to the time he left in 1780. 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 



37 



Territory into Missouri, and to deflect into this country 
the population that had been flowing from Kentucky into 
the territory north of the Ohio. As yet, however, most 
of the emigrants who came to Missouri because of the 
Northwest Ordinance were French from the Ilhnois coun- 
try or from the "American Bottom." 

3. The special inducements offered by the Spanish 
government to new settlers. For several years after the 
close of the American Revolution Spanish authorities 
carried on intrigues with certain Americans in the Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee regions, looking toward the break- 
ing up of the newly formed American union and the at- 
tachment of those western regions to Spain. A stop was 
put to all this intriguing, however, by the treaty made 
between the United States and Spain in 1795. 

Failing in her plans for withdrawing the Kentucky and 
Tennessee regions from the Union, and fearing an inva- 
sion of Louisiana by the English from Canada, Spain now 
inaugurated a scheme to draw settlers from the United 
States into Louisiana by offering them extraordinary in- 
ducements. Lands were granted freely to all settlers, 
the only expense being the fees for survejdng and regis- 
tration. It has been estimated that a farm of 800 acres 
could be obtained for $41 plus the fees of the surveyor 
and registration officials. To make it all the easier for 
the prospective settler, Spain arranged that he might 
obtain possession of his grant at once and pay these obli- 
gations later. 

It has been stated that the Spaniards made no dis- 
crimination between Catholics and Protestants in making 
these grants, and that men of all religious sects were 
welcomed and given full religious freedom. There is 
good ground, however, for doubting these propositions. 
The king of Spain desired only Catholics in the territory 
west of the Mississippi, and the governor general at New 
Orleans always rigidly enforced the orders of Spain, 
which excluded Protestants. The governor of Upper 



3. Spanish 
Offers to 
Settlers 



(a) Free 
Grants of 
Land 



(b) Laxness 
in the En- 
forcement of 
Religious 
Restrictions 



38 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

Louisiana sometimes winked at the coming of Protestants, 
but usually under certain conditions. 

According to certain instructions issued by Gayoso, 
commandant general in 1798, liberty of conscience was not 
to be extended beyond the first generation. This meant 
that the children of the immigrants must be baptized ac- 
cording to the Catholic form. Immigrants who would 
not agree to this were not to be admitted, but were to be 
removed, even though they might have brought their 
pergonal property with them. Moreover, it was expressly 
recommended to the commandants by these instructions 
that no preacher of any religion but the Catholic should 
come into the province. And yet, notwithstanding these 
instructions, considerable religious toleration actually 
existed. The regulation requiring the children to be 
baptized as Catholics was not enforced, and the exami- 
nations that were given to the immigrants were not closely 
observed. Hence, many Baptists and other Protestants 
settled in the province and remained undisturbed in their 
religious principles. They held no public religious meet- 
ings, however, and had no ministers of the gospel among 
them. All marriage rites were performed by Catholic 
priests, and it is probable that if anyone had attempted to 
administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's 
Supper according to the Protestant confession, he would 
have been sent to prison for it. 

Notwithstanding these religious restrictions, the easy 
terms on which the grants of land were offered and the 
prospects of finding lead on these lands, induced many 
people to leave their homes east of the Mississippi and to 
come into what is now Missouri. It was during this 
period of Spanish rule that Americans began to appear in 
the' Missouri country, but it was not until the late nineties 
that they began to come in large numbers. Probably the 
first American settler in Missouri came to St. Louis in 1 770. 

4. The purchase of Louisiana in 1803. This had a 
decided effect upon the American immigration into what 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 39 

is now Missouri. Men who had hesitated to come into 4. Purchase 

this country because of their objection to foreign rule of Louisiana, 
found that objection removed when the United States 
purchased Louisiana. 

But at the time of the transfer of Louisiana to the Predomi- 

United States, in 1804, the population of what is now "^"*^^.o* 

' ^' r- x- Amencans 

Missouri had, as has already been stated, risen to 10,000, in Missouri 
more than half of whom were Americans. It should be ^^ ^^°^ 
noted here that though Spain had had control of Louisiana 
for nearly thirty-five years prior to its purchase by the 
United States, very few Spaniards settled in the province, 
especially within the limits of the present State of Mis- 
souri. The population of the Missouri country was of 
French descent almost exclusively until the close of the 
eighteenth century, when, as we have seen, the Americans 
began to come in such numbers as to predominate in 1804. 

By 18 10 the population had grown to be 20,845, or twice 
what it had been in 1804. This increase was primarily 
due to further American immigration. 

At the time when the population of what is now Mis- Growth of 

souri numbered only goo or 1000, there were only two Settlements 
. in>T- -r-. 1- in Missoun 

settlements, Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis. But during during the 

the period of Spanish rule, when the population ran up Spanish 
to 10,000, several new settlements were established, con- 
cerning which a brief account should now be given. It 
will be most convenient to consider them according to 
the five districts into which the Spanish authorities had 
grouped them, commencing at the north and passing to 
the south. 

I. The northernmost district was called St. Charles, i. St. 
It included all the territory lying between the Missouri ^^g^j.'^! 
and the Mississippi rivers. Its oldest settlement was St. 
Charles, which was founded about 1780 on the north (a) St. 
bank of the Missouri, twenty miles above its mouth. ^^^^^^^ 
The founder was Louis Blanchette, commonly known as 
Blanchette le Chasseur (Blanchette, the hunter), a native 
of the Province of Quebec, Canada. 



40 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 




The village was originally known as Les Petites Cotes 
(Little Hills) or Village des Cotes (Village of the Hills), 
because of the fact that it was situated at the foot of a 
range of small hills rising up from the northern bank of 
the Missouri River. For a time it was known officially 
at New Orleans as San Fernando, but just before the 
purchase of Louisiana it came to be called officially San 
Carlos del Missouri or St. Charles of the Missouri. 

The houses of the village were built along one street 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 41 

that ran for about a mile parallel to the river. Up to 
the time of the purchase of Louisiana the population was 
almost entirely French-Canadian and never amounted 
to more than one hundred families. The villagers culti- 
vated two common fields that lay adjoining the village, 
but they were interested chiefly in hunting and fur 
trading, and the place remained for a long time the 
headquarters of the fur trading industry along the 
Missouri River. 

There were at least two other French settlements in (b) Portage 
this district, Portage des Sioux and La Charette. For- '^^^ ^^^^^ 
tage des Sioux ^ was situated on the Mississippi at the 
point on the tongue of land which lies between this river 
and the Missouri where the two rivers approach each 
other most nearly before they join a few miles farther 
down. It was established by the Spanish authorities in 
1799 as an offset to a settlement which they thought the 
Americans were going to establish near the mouth of the 
Missouri on the Illinois side. A man by the name of 
Saucier, who was living at St. Charles, was requested by 
the Spanish authorities to form this settlement of Portage 
des Sioux, and was urged to do all he could to draw the 
French settlers from the Illinois country. Saucier was 
a native of Fort Chartres and was well known in that part 
of the country, and he succeeded in inducing many 
of his Illinois friends to move to the new settlement. 
Like St. Charles, Portage des Sioux contained very few 
Americans prior to the purchase of Louisiana. 

La Charette was situated on the Missouri River fifty (c) La 
miles from St. Charles. It did not amount to much dur- 
ing the period now under consideration, and as late as 

1 Portage des Sioux got its name from the fact that the Sioux 
Indians, during a war with the Missouris, evaded the latter, who 
were waiting for them in ambush at the mouth of the Missouri, by- 
crossing the Mississippi where the town now stands. They then 
carried their canoes over to the Missouri River and escaped with 
their spoils. 



Charette 



42 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



((f) Settle- 
ments along 
the Creeks of 
the District 



1804 it had only seven very poor families. It is now 
known as Marthasville. 

The Americans who Hved in this district at the time 
of the Louisiana Purchase did not reside in villages as 
a rule, but in scattered and detached fannsteads along the 
Cuivre River and the Dardenne and Perruque creeks, 
which flowed into the Mississippi, and along La Charette 



//// f ^ <^«^'- i^ ^ kiix^^^a 





** 

*. 


' 1 f III !» 


11 1 



From Stevens' 




St. Louis in Colonial Days 

Ussouri, the Center State, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 



2. St. Louis 
District 



and Femme Osage creeks, which were tributaries to the 
Missouri. They were most numerous along the Dardenne.^ 
2. St. Louis District embraced all the territory be- 
tween the Missouri River on the north and the Meramec 
on the south, and extended indefinitely to the west. The 
{<i) St. Louis oldest and largest settlement in this district was St. Louis, 
which, as we have seen, was founded in 1764. Its growth 
had been rather slow at first. By 1804 it had come to be 
a place of about 1000. It contained at that time 171 
buildings, 33 of* which were of stone, 131 of posts and 
logs, and 7 of posts and stone. 

1 TI1C Booncs lived alon^ the Femme Osage and La Charette 
creeks. An accoimt of them will be given in the latter part of this 
chapter. 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 43 

Besides St. Louis there were several other settlements in (b) Caron- 
this district by 1804. Some of them were distinctively 
French in character, such as Carondelet, Florissant, Creve 
Cceur, and Point Labadie. Carondelet had been founded 
by Delor de Treget of Ste. Genevieve, who in 1767 made 
a trip with his wife up the Mississippi. Charmed with 
the beauty of the country near the mouth of the River 
des Peres, he decided to settle near there. He therefore 
obtained a grant from St. Ange and built his stone house 
at what is now the foot of Elwood Street, St. Louis. In 
time there sprang up around his house a village which 
was first called Delor 's Village, and which, after several 
changes in name, finally came to be known as Carondelet, 
after the last Spanish governor general of Louisiana. It 
was nicknamed Vide Poche (Empty Pocket) by the people 
of St. Louis. It grew slowly at first, and for a number of 
years contained not more than twenty families. By 1804 
it had only 50 houses and 250 people. This village was 
near, if not on, the exact site of the River des Peres set- 
tlement which the Jesuits are said to have attempted 
early in the eighteenth century, concerning which some- 
thing was said in a former chapter. Carondelet is now 
incorporated as a part of the city of St. Louis. 

Florissant was next to the largest of the settlements in (c) Floris- 
the St. Louis District in 1804, containing at that time ^^^^ 
60 houses and about 300 people. The date of its settle- 
ment is not definitely known, but it was probably 1785. 
The place was about twelve miles northwest of St. Louis, 
on a tributary of the Missouri called Cold Water Creek, 
opposite which was a large prairie noted for its luxuriant 
growth of wild flowers. This probably affords the expla- 
nation for its name, Florissant, which is an abbreviation 
for the longer name San Fernando de Florissant. 

Creve Coeur and Point Labadie were small French set- (d) Creve 
tlements farther up the Missouri. For the name Creve p^^^^" 
Coeur, which means "broken heart," two explanations Labadie 
have been offered : one is that, after the overflow of the 



vieve 
District 



44 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

Missouri in 1796, there was much sickness and many 
people died, the survivors abandoning the place broken- 
hearted ; the other is that the loneliness was so oppres- 
sive to the wife of Alex Bellisime, one of the settlers, that 
when asked about her new home she replied, "C'est un 
vrai creve coeur." — "It is a real heart-breaker." 
(e) Settle-' By 1804 a goodly number of Americans had settled in 

ments along ^^le St. Louis District, but most of them had made their 

the Meramec r 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 t-» 1 

way farther westward and southward than the French 
had gone, and instead of settling in villages they had 
located on homesteads along the Meramec River and 
along the creeks that were tributaries to the Missouri 
and Meramec rivers. 

3. ste. Gene- 3. Stc. Gencvievc District lay between the Meramec 
River on the north and Apple Creek on the south. Its 
most important place, Ste. Genevieve, was, as we have 
already seen, the first permanent white settlement es- 
tablished in what is now Missouri. It will be recalled 
that the town had been moved from its original site and 
had been established on higher ground three miles farther 
up the Mississippi River. By 1803 several other settle- 
ments had been founded in this district, the areas of 
settlement being the land lying along the Mississippi 
River and in the valleys of the St. Francois and Big rivers 
to the west. Some of the settlements along the Missis- 
sippi River were established by the French and some by 
the Americans, the most important American settlements 
being on Apple Creek to the south and on the Meramec 
to the north. As in the other districts, the French in 
this one gathered for the most part in villages, and the 
Americans took to detached farms. 

(a) New One of the most interesting of the settlements established 

in the district during this period was called New Bourbon. 
It was situated on the Mississippi River two and one half 
miles from the site of old Ste. Genevieve, and was pro- 
jected by a group of men, one of whom was the father of 
De Lassus, the last Spanish commandant of Upper Louisi- 



Bourbon 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 45 

ana, for the purpose of bringing to it a number of French 
royalist famihes who had settled at Gallipolis on the 
Ohio River in what is now Ohio. These royalists had 
become dissatisfied with their lot in that place, and it is 
thought that they had been induced to move to this new 
settlement in the Ste. Genevieve District. When the 
matter was laid before Governor Carondelet in New 
Orleans, in 1793, he immediately sanctioned it and au- 
thorized the establishing of the settlement. However, 
only a very few came from Gallipolis, but the village grew 
in time to have a population of more than 100. It has 
since disappeared altogether. 

In the valleys of the St. Francois and Big rivers, set- (b) Wmek 
tlements were formed by Americans who were interested Breton 
in mining and in farming. Although the French carried 
on mining operations in these valleys from very early 
days, they do not seem to have established any permanent 
settlements there until late in the eighteenth century. 
Up to that time they retained their residences in Ste. 
Genevieve or in the villages in the Illinois country, and 
merely camped at their inines during the mining season. 

The best known, if not the most important, of the Ameri- 
can settlements in this part of the district was called 
Mine a Breton or Burton, near the present Potosi. There 
seems to have been a continuous settlement at this place 
from the time lead was discovered there by Francis Azor 
dit Breton in 1775, but it was not until Moses Austin 
obtained a grant of one league square near the Azor mine 
that the place attained any prominence. Austin was a 
pewter manufacturer in Richmond, Virginia. His busi- 
ness led him to become interested in mineralogy, espe- 
cially lead mining. He left Richmond and moved to Wythe 
County, Virginia, where he operated lead mines during 
the Revolutionary War. While here he heard of the lead 
mines in what is now Missouri, and thereupon made a 
visit to the mines of Ste. Genevieve in 1796, coming on 
horseback all the way. After receiving a grant of land, 



46 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(c) Farming- 
ton and 
Frederick- 
town 



(d) Ste. 
Genevieve, 
the Most 
Populous 
District in 
1804 




Moses Austin 



he returned to Virginia and brought his family to Mine a 
Breton in 1798. Here he sank the first shaft ever sunk 

according to European prac- 
tices in Upper Louisiana. 
The settlement grew rather 
rapidly at once, and the pop- 
ulation was large enough 
to withstand an attack of 
Indians in 1799. 

Settlements were also be- 
gun in the St. Frangois 
Valley at what are now 
Farmington and Frederick- 
town. Farmington was 
known at first as Murphy's 
Settlement, from, a man by 
that name who came from 
Tennessee in 1 798. Freder- 
icktown at first was called St. Michael's, and was begun 
in 1800. Contrary to the rule concerning the settlements 
in this valley, Fredericktown was a purely French settle- 
ment at first, instead of American. 

The population of this district did not increase very 
rapidly up to 1799, but in the next five years it grew 
from ii56to287o. As a result Ste. Genevieve was in 
1804 the most prosperous of all the five districts in what 
is now Missouri, having almost 100 more than St. Louis 
District. The marked increase in the population of this 
district in the five years prior to 1804 was due to the fact 
that most of the French who left the Illinois District went 
as a rule to Ste. Genevieve District, and did not scatter 
out into the other districts to any very great extent. It 
should also be observed that in all the outlying regions 
of this district the American and English-speaking ele- 
ment of the population had become predominant. 

4. Cape Girardeau District was bounded on the north 
by Apple Creek and on the south, until 1802, by Tywap- 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 47 



pity Bottom. In that year this boundary was fixed at 4. Cape 

Girardea 
District 



a Hne running east and west four or five miles south of ^'"'^'■'^^^^ 



the present town of Commerce, Scott County. 

Before any settlement was made in this district, the 
name of Cape Girardeau, which was spelled Girardot or 
Girardo, was applied to the region along the bend in 
the Mississippi north of the present town of Cape 
Girardeau. It is conjectured that the name was de- 
rived from a man named Girardot, who was an ensign in 
the French troops at Kaskaskia early in the eighteenth 
century. It is supposed that he moved from Kaskaskia 
to the beautifully wooded promontory on the west side 
of the Mississippi above the present town of Cape Girar- 
deau, and traded there with the Indians. Because of this 
fact the river men who passed up and down the river gave 
the name Girardeau to this promontory. 

The first permanent white settlement established in (<^} Cape 
this district was Cape Girardeau. To Louis Lorimier 
belongs the honor of having founded this place. Before 
coming to what is now Missouri, he had been an Indian 
trader, first in Ohio, then at Vincennes, Indiana. ^ By 
1787 he was in the Ste. Genevieve District engaged in the 
Indian trade, having brought with him at the instance 
of the Spanish officials a band of Delawares and Shaw- 
nees among whom he had unbounded influence. The 
Spaniards wanted them as a protection against the Osages, 

' During the American Revolution Lorimier was a fiery Tory 
and is known to have had a direct hand in some of the Indian forays 
against the American settlements in western Pennsylvania and in 
Kentucky. He was the leader of the Indian expedition against 
Boonesborough in 1778, which resulted in the capture of Daniel 
Boone and his family. After the Revolution was over, he shared 
with the English and the Indians in their chagrin and disappoint- 
ment over the outcome, and doubtless had a part in urging the 
Indians to deeds of violence against the Americans. He was a 
natural leader among the Indians ; his wife was the daughter of a 
Shawnee chief, and it is thought he had been adopted by his wife's 
people and made a chief himself. 



48 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(b) Amer- 
icans in the 
Majority 



5. New 
Madrid 
District 



(a) L'Anse 
la Graise 



who were less civilized than the Indians to the east of 
the Mississippi. A few years later Lorimier moved to 
the present site of Cape Girardeau, and in 1795 he received 
from Governor Carondelet grants which authorized him 
to establish himself with his Indians on any unoccupied 
territory on the west bank of the Mississippi River from 
the Missouri to the Arkansas. He was also given the 
right to hunt and to cultivate the soil. As he had already 
found what is now Cape Girardeau to be a suitable locality, 
he established the post there and became its commander. 
The place was never regularly laid out as a village or town 
by Lorimier ; in fact it remained during all the Spanish 
period a mere Indian trading post. 

By 1804 there were about twelve hundred people in 
this district in scattered settlements along the Mississippi 
and along the Whitewater River to the west. The 
Americans were greatly in the majority, having begun to 
come in large numbers about 1797. Most of these 
Americans came from Tennessee and North Carolina, and 
many of them were of Gennan or German-Swiss extraction. 

5. New Madrid District lay south of Cape Girardeau 
District, extending as far south as the mouth of St. 
Frangois River — the present Helena, Arkansas.^ 

The first settlement in this district was on the bend of 
the Mississippi where the town of New Madrid now 
stands. This bend was called L'Anse a la Graise (a 
cove of fat or grease). Several explanations have been 
offered for this name, the most plausible of which was the 
abundance of game, especially bears and buffaloes, in 
that region. Canadian hunters and fur traders made this 
bend their headquarters about 1780, and in six or seven 
years a few people had permanently settled there. Among 
them were Francis and Joseph Le Sieur, who may be con- 
sidered as the real founders of New Madrid. 



1 When the New Madrid District was first formed by the Spanish 
government, it included what was afterward known as Cape Girar- 
deau District, which was at that time without any settlement. 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 49 

In 1789 efforts were made by Colonel George Morgan of (6) Morgan's 
Virginia to found an American colony at L'Anse a la Colonization 
Graise or New Madrid, and elaborate plans were drawn 
up for a town of considerable magnitude. Morgan had 
made frequent trips to the region between the Alleghanies 
and the Mississippi and was therefore well acquainted 
with conditions in the West. He had suffered some re- 
verses of fortune and thought he saw an opportunity 
to recover his losses by establishing a colony on the west 
side of the Mississippi, near the mouth of the Ohio. He 
therefore entered into negotiations with Gardoqui, the 
Spanish ambassador to the United States, and was prom- 
ised support in all his plans. He was assured he would 
obtain a grant of nearly 15,000,000 acres of land extend- 
ing along the Mississippi for 300 miles from the mouth of 
the St. Frangois River to what is now Perry County, 
Missouri. Certain conditions which the Spanish govern- 
ment was to observe were laid down by him, among which 
were guarantees of the right of local self-government on 
the part of the settlers, and exemption from practically 
all taxation. He was then authorized by Gardoqui to 
go at once and examine the territory that was to be 
granted to him and to advertise his project among the 
people of the West whom he should meet on his way 
thither. He got together a large company of men and 
made his way down the Ohio, and on reaching its mouth 
on February 14, 1789, crossed over to the west side of the 
Mississippi. After making a trip to St. Louis under 
great difficulties to deliver to the Spanish commandant 
there a letter from the Spanish ambassador regarding 
his project, he returned to his men and proceeded to lay 
out the new town he was going to establish at L'Anse k 
la Graise. The town was to be four miles long and two 
miles wide, with broad streets and with parks and lots 
reserved for public purposes. One city lot of one half 
acre and one outlying lot of five acres were to be offered as 
a free gift to each of the first six hundred settlers that 



50 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

came to this new place. Cabins and a magazine for 
provisions were erected, gardens were laid out, and 
preparations were made for putting one hundred acres 
under cultivation at once. Sufficient land for 350 families 
was to be platted into farms of 320 acres each for pro- 
spective settlers. Such liberal terms were granted to 
those who should come that it was expected a thousand 
families would settle in the colony annually for some time 
to come. 

But Morgan's plans were doomed never to be realized. 
It was necessary for him to get the approval of Miro, 
the Spanish governor of Louisiana, who resided at New 
Orleans ; but this was denied him because of certain 
schemes in which Miro and Wilkinson of the United States 
army were interested. Both of them were deep in the 
Spanish intrigues to dismember- the American Union, 
mention of which has already been made, and they 
realized that Morgan's plans would work contrary to 
their schemes and interests. It is also claimed that 
Miro feared that too many Protestants would thus be 
brought into the Spanish territory. For these reasons he 
refused to give his approval, and Morgan's plans collapsed. 
(c) Founding Though Morgan was compelled to abandon his efforts 
Madrid ^° establish a colony at New Madrid, many of those who 

had come with him remained, and the extensive adver- 
tising he had done drew a great many other Americans to 
the place in spite of his failure. It should also be borne 
in mind that shortly after this Spain began making her 
extraordinary offers to prospective emigrants to come to 
what is now Missouri. Morgan's campaign of pub- 
licity served to interest a great many people in these 
Spanish offers when they were made. By 1799 New 
Madrid had become a gateway to all commerce between 
the Gulf of Mexico and the region between the Alleghany 
Mountains and the Mississippi, and by 1804 the district 
had a population of 1500, most of whom were in the town 
of New Madrid. 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 5 1 

In this district the settlements were estabhshed for (d) Caru- 
the most part along the Mississippi River. Below New ^^^'^p^'j'^^ g. 
Madrid was the village of Little Prairie, now called Cam- viUe 
thersville, which had been founded in 1790 by Francis Le 
Sieur. Many people moved to it from New Madrid. 
The place remained prosperous until the earthquake of 
181 1. A few settlements were established in the 
uplands about fifteen miles west of the Mississippi, 
the most important of which was Portageville. Its 
name is derived from the fact that it stood about mid- 
way on the portage between the St. Frangois and Mis- 
sissippi rivers. 

By-1803 the Americans considerably outnumbered the 
French in this district, one estimate being that they con- 
stituted two thirds of the entire population of the dis- 
trict. Contrary to the usual rule, the Americans settled 
in the French villages instead of on isolated farms. 

From this survey we see that by 1804 the areas of set- Areas of 

tlement in what is now Missouri were, first, the banks of Settiement_ 
.. -., '. in Missouri 

the Mississippi from New Madrid to St. Louis, and of in 1804 

the Missouri for about forty or fifty miles up from its 

mouth ; second, the back country, which consisted of 

the uplands just west of the Mississippi and of the 

valleys of the rivers still farther to the west, such as the 

lower Meramec, the Big, the Whitewater, and the St. 

Frangois. 

For the most part the French settlers gathered in vil- Distribution 

lages in the first of these areas. The most important °^ French 

° . . and Amer- 

villages, St. Charles, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Cape ican Settlers 
Girardeau, and New Madrid, were predominantly French 
except Cape Girardeau, which almost from the very first 
was an American settlement. While the American set- 
tlers sometimes took up their residence in villages in this 
first area of settlement, either by themselves or with the 
French, they generally lived out on scattered and isolated 
farms ; and while some of these American settlements 
were along the Mississippi and the Missouri, most of them 



52 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



were in the back country, that is, the second of the above 
mentioned areas of settlement.^ 



Government 
of Louisiana 



I. Governor 
General and 
Cabildo 



2. OflScials 
of Upper 
Louisiana 



2. Political and Social Conditions 

While Spain had control of Louisiana, that colony- 
was under the administration of a governor general, 
appointed by the king, and of a council called the 
Cabildo. The governor general and the council resided 
at New Orleans. The colony was divided for purposes 
of local administration into two provinces, called Lower 
and Upper Louisiana, the mouth of the St. Francois River 
being the point through which the line dividing the two 
provinces passed. What is now Missouri was a part of 
the Upper province. 

For Upper Louisiana there was a lieutenant governor 
who resided at St. Louis. He was appointed by the 
governor general at New Orleans and was subordinate 
to him. Under the lieutenant governor and appointed 
by him were commandants of the various military posts 
throughout the province. The commandant of New 
Madrid was, however, exempt from the authority of the 
lieutenant governor. The commandants in turn ap- 

^ The population by districts in 1 804 was as follows : 

Whites Slaves Total 

St. Charles 1400 150 1550 

St. Louis 2280 500 2780 

Ste. Genevieve 2350 520 2870 

Cape Girardeau 147^ 180 1650 

New Madrid 1350 150 1500 







8850 


1500 


10,350 


The census of De Lassus 


in 1 799 was as follows : 






St. Louis 


925 


St. Andre . . 




393 


Carondelet 


184 


Ste. Genevieve . 




949 


St. Charles 


875 


New Bourbon . 




560 


St. Ferdinand .... 


376 


New Madrid 




282 


Marais des Liards . . . 


376 


Cape Girardeau 




521 


Meramec 


115 


Little Meadows 




49 



6,028 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 



53 



pointed the syndics for the remote settlements of their 
districts and the dependencies of the posts. The syndics 
and most of the commandants received no pay for their 
services. This sometimes proved a heavy burden upon 
the commandants because of the free entertainments to 




The Cabildo of New Orleans 

In this building the governor general and the council of the Province of 
Louisiana had their offices during the Spanish period. 



the Indians and others which they occasionally had to 
furnish. 

In the administration of laws the process was very 
simple and direct. Cases that fell within the jurisdiction 
of the commandants were quickly tried by them or by the 
syndics who acted for them. After hearing the state- 
ments of both parties to a suit, the commandant or the 
syndic would give his decision, which was usually accepted 
as final. However, an appeal might be taken to the 
lieutenant governor and from him to the governor gen- 
eral, but this was seldom done. Often not more than four 
days would elapse between the beginning of a suit and 
the execution of the decree of the commandant or syndic. 



3. Adminis- 
tration of 
Laws 



54 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

In criminal matters either the Heutenant governor 
would go to the place where the crime was committed 
and try the case, or the commandant would try it, his 
decision, however, being subject to an appeal to the 
lieutenant governor, and from him to the governor 
general. The law also provided for still further ap- 
peals, the last tribunal being the Council of the Indies in 
Spain, but it was seldom that appeals of any sort were 
taken. 

In addition to these judicial functions the comman- 
dant exercised extensive administrative and military au- 
thority. He maintained peace and order, examined pass- 
ports, which every traveler was compelled to have, passed 
upon requests of prospective settlers for permission to 
take up their residence in the district, and punished slaves. 
He had the rank and military duties of captain. 

Superior to the local commandant and the syndic was 
the lieutenant governor. His power was very great. 
He was commander of the garrison of Spanish soldiers 
that had been sent into the province and of the local 
militia ; he was the chief judicial officer and as such could 
hear most of the cases when they were tried the first time, 
or could entertain appeals from the decisions of com- 
mandants ; he issued decrees or laws regulating all sorts of 
matters in the province ; he made grants of land out of 
the royal domain ; he ordered and conducted judicial 
sales ; and he controlled the public affairs of the province 
without the interference of any one. Of course in all 
these matters he was subordinate either to the governor 
general or to the intendant, who had authority regard- 
ing land grants. 
4. Lack of Except in very unimportant local matters the people 

Popular Gov- ^^^^ ^q voicc in the government. There were no juries, 
no elected officials, no legislature for the province or 
councils for the districts or villages. However, no one 
seems to have offered any objection to this way of doing. 
Both the French and American settlers seemed to like 



ernment 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 



55 



it, perhaps because the heutenant governor used his 
extraordinary powers mildly. He might, it is true, take 
property away from one person and give it to another 
without any judicial process, as he actually did in the 
case of a woman of St. Louis who refused to keep up the 
common field fence in front of her lot ; but he generally 
acted arbitrarily only when there was real cause for it. 
The lieutenant governors were men of good character 
and sought to govern to the best interest of the people, 
though it was admitted that some were guilty of land 
speculations and fraudulent land grants. Generally 
speaking, the people were Jaw-abiding at this time ; there 
was little crime, and there were but few land suits. 
When crime was committed it was punished very severely. 
Seditious language, slander and libel, and stealing of horses 
were dealt with in a particularly rigorous way. 

The French, as we have seen, were accustomed to living 
in villages. They built their houses along one street, 




Amoureaux House 

One of the typical French houses in Missouri during the Spanish 
period. Note the front and rear porches running the entire width of 
the house. From Houck's History of Missouri. 



Life among 
the French 
Settlers 



as a rule, though sometimes the village would have two 

or three streets. While some of the houses were of stone, i. Houses 

they were generally built of hewn logs set up on end in 

the ground or upon plates laid upon a foundation wall, 

the space between the logs being filled with stone, clay, 

or mortar. They were rarely over one story high and 



56 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

were usually wider than they were deep, with porches 
running along the whole length of the front and the rear. 
The roof over these porches was a continuation of the 
roof over the house proper. The houses were usually 
whitewashed on the outside, and on the ridge of the roof 
a cross was often placed. 

The houses of the well-to-do had a chimney in the 
middle dividing the dwelling into two rooms, each of 
which had its own large fireplace. One of these served 
as parlor, dining room, and principal bedroom, and the 
other as kitchen. From each of these two main divisions 
a room was often partitioned off for use as a private bed- 
room. Sometimes the houses had spacious halls running 
through the center from the front to the back, and large 
chimneys at the two ends. The chimneys were generally 
made by planting four posts so that they would tend to 
converge toward the top, making the opening at the top 
almost half as large as at the hearth. The spaces be- 
tween the posts were filled with rock and mortar. Some- 
times, however, the wealthier people used stone in con- 
structing their chimneys. 

In some cases, especially when servants were a part 
of the household, the kitchen was in a detached building 
several feet away from the main house ; but whether the 
kitchen was in the main house or in a detached building, 
the cooking was done in a fireplace. Some of the houses 
had no garrets, but in case they did have, the garrets 
were reached by means of ladders and were lighted by 
dormer mndows or by windows at the gable ends. 

The floors were sometimes made of well-joined planks, 
but generally they were made of puncheons, that is, logs 
that had been hewed and joined together. Usually there 
was a window of eight or ten panes of glass in each room. 
These windows were hinged so as to open like doors, and 
were protected on the outside with heavy wooden shut- 
ters which could be closed when there was danger of an 
attack from the Indians, 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 



57 



When one is reminded that all the timber used during 
this period in the construction of houses in what is now 
Missouri was prepared by hand, one will realize what a 
task it must have been to erect a house with even the 
poorest of accommodations. Moreover, all the nails 
were made by hand, so that most of the timbers had to be 




Gratiot's House 

Another typical French house in Missouri during the Spanish period. Note 
that the logs are placed in an upright position. 

mortised and fastened together with wooden pegs. The 
furniture in these houses was very simple, consisting of 
beds, looking-glasses, a table or two, and a few chairs. 

Inasmuch as the houses always stood near the street, 
the front yards were very small, but the back yards 
were unusually large. Here were to be found the barns, 
outbuildings, and quarters for the negro or Indian slaves. 
The yards were inclosed with fences built of pickets that 
were driven into the ground. Beyond the back yards 
were the vegetable and flower gardens and the orchards, 
which were also inclosed with picket fences. 

Agriculture was the chief occupation of the villagers. 2. Farms 
Their farms lay in one or two great common fields ad- (a) Common 
joining or near the village. New Madrid is the only ^'^''^^ 
village, among the more important ones at least, that 



58 



HISTORY 01' MISSOURI 



(ft) Com- 
mons 



(c) Agricul- 
tural Imple- 
ments 



did not have such a field. Each common field was di- 
vided into farm lots which were much deeper than they 
were wide. In St. Louis the lots were one arpent wide 
and forty deep, an arpent being a little more than 190 
feet. As a rule these lots lay parallel to each other, thus 
having a common front. Some of the fields were of con- 
siderable size, that at Ste. Genevieve containing 3000 acres. 
The whole field was inclosed by a common fence, and 
each villager was required to keep up his part. The com- 
mon fence was under the jurisdiction of the syndic of the 
place and a committee of umpires. These umpires in- 
spected the fence in January of each year and reported to 
the syndic when it needed repairing. It was necessary 
to build fences that were proof against cattle breaking 
through. 

In addition to the common field in which the lots were 
the individual property of the villagers, there was usually 
a tract of land adjacent to each village which was known 
as the "commons" and which belonged to the villagers 
collectively. This land was inclosed by the settlers and 
used by them as common pasture for their stock, and 
from it they gathered their firewood. The "commons" 
was sometimes quite extensive, that at St. Charles amount- 
ing to 14,000 arpents.^ 

The agricultural implements used by these villagers 
were very crude. Plows were made entirely of wood, 
save a single iron fastening. Hoes, spades, mattocks, 
and rakes were heavy and clumsy. As a usual thing each 
village owned a harrow or two which were used in com- 
mon. Owing to the primitive implements and the un- 
scientific methods of cultivation employed, the crop returns 
were very light, but the prices that crops brought were 
good. 



' The arpent was used for both surface and linear measurement 
among the French. As a unit of surface measurement, it varied 
from I to I of an English acre. It is still used in the state of Louisi- 
ana and the province of Quebec. 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 59 

The carts or chare ties were very odd-looking affairs. 
They were made of two pieces of scantHng, ten or twelve 
feet long, framed together at one end by two or more 
cross pieces ; upon this end the body of wicker was placed, 
and the whole was adjusted to the axletree of the two 
solid wooden wheels sawed from the cross section of 
a large tree, about four feet in diameter and four inches 
thick. The projecting ends of the scantling served as 
shafts. This sort of cart was used for transportation 
of all kinds. Laclede used one in moving his family from 
Cahokia to St. Louis in 1764. Inasmuch as the wheels 
of these carts had no iron tires, the American settlers 
spoke of them as "barefooted carts." 

Though agriculture was the chief occupation of the 3- Trading 
settlers in these French villages, every one engaged more 
or less in hunting and in trading in furs. Many were 
accustomed to go out annually on long expeditions far 
up the Mississippi and the Missouri, either on their own 
account or as employees of others. The most valuable 
furs were often purchased from the Indians with trinkets 
of various sorts — knives, awls, hatchets, kettles, gay red 
blankets, and the like. Often the forest trader forsook 
civilized life almost altogether and allied himself in mar- 
riage with some one of the Indian tribes, becoming as 
much of a savage as the Indians themselves. 

Distant markets were generally reached by boats 
running up and down the Mississippi or the Ohio. Boats 
coming up the Mississippi were usually propelled by oars, 
and when the wind was favorable a sail was hoisted. 
But sometimes they were towed up the river by men 
walking along the bank and pulling a rope fastened to 
the top of the mast and to the bow of the boat. The 
labor necessary to get a boat up the Mississippi is almost 
inconceivable at this day. Of course, going down the 
river was very easy. As a rule the trip down was made 
in flatboats which, after the cargo was disposed of, were 
broken up and the timber in them sold. The crews, 



6o HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

if they returned, would come by land as best they 
could. 

4. Industries In somc of the villages there were stonemasons, black- 
smiths, gunsmiths, and cabinetmakers. Spinning and 
weaving were domestic industries. The merchants of that 
time kept no open shops, but stored their merchandise 
away in chests in their homes and opened these up to 
prospective purchasers as they were called upon. 

s. Dress The dress of the French settlers was plain and simple. 

The men wore a blanket coat of coarse cloth with a cape 
behind, which could be thrown over the head. Both 
men and women wore blue handkerchiefs over their 
heads instead of hats. They also wore moccasins or 
Indian sandals on their feet. The women followed the 
fashions of New Orleans and Paris in so far as they could, 
and hence appeared neater than the men. But the 
men seem to have been provided with proper and neat 
dress for church and ballroom. 

6. Manners Though the French settlers were living largely in iso- 

lation from the world, they maintained in their manners 
and customs many of the traits and characteristics of 
the nation from which they were descended. They were 
noted for their courtesy and politeness, their fondness for 
amusement, their happy dispositions, their hospitality 
and democracy of spirit, their honesty and punctuality 
in meeting their obligations, their freedom from anxiety, 
and their peacefulness and abhorrence of crime. Their 
chief amusements were card playing, billiards, and danc- 
ing. At the balls all classes met and mingled in perfect 
equality, and the strictest decorum was observed. These 
balls were generally held on Sundays after church 
services. 

7. Education Private schools were maintained in many of the villages 
and Religion {^^ connection with the village churches, and some sort of 

elementary instruction was offered. 

The French settlers were Catholic in religion and gave 
considerable attention to religious festivals and pro- 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 6 1 

cessions. The Christmas hoHdays were celebrated with 
especially attractive ceremonies. 

The American settlers, as we have seen, preferred as a Life of the 
rule to live not in villages, but on isolated farm home- gettier^'^ 
steads. Their dwellings were somewhat unlike those of 
the French. They were usually double cabins, that is, the i. Houses 
house was composed of two distinct log pens or rooms 
with an open space about the size of each of the rooms 
between them. This open space between the rooms was 
used as a passageway. The logs in the walls were laid 
horizontally upon each other to the height of eight or ten 
feet instead of being placed on end, as was frequently 
done in the French houses. The spaces between the logs 
were filled with clay. 

A single roof covered the two rooms and the open 
space between. Sometimes it was extended over the 
walls of the rooms so as to form a shed or porch in the 
front and rear. The roof was made by placing logs upon 
rafters and fastening them by means of wooden pins and 
notches and then laying clapboards four or five feet long 
on these logs. As the clapboards were not nailed to the 
logs, they were held in place by having three or four 
heavy logs laid upon them and fastened down at the end 
with withes. One or two doors were cut into the rooms 
and a few small openings were left for light and air ; these 
were sometimes glazed. The floors were puncheons. 
Each room had a broad fireplace made either of wood 
and clay or of rock. One room served as the kitchen 
and the other as the living room. In case the family 
owned slaves, another room or pen was built a few feet 
back of the open space between the other two rooms, 
and this was used as the kitchen. The slaves lived in 
separate cabins back of the house of their master. 

Though the American settlers raised a good deal of 2. Occupa- 
corn and wheat and turned out a large number of cattle *'°"^ 
upon the range, they spent much of their time in hunting 
and trading in furs. 



62 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Daniel 
Boone 



I. Early 
Life 



2. In Ken- 
tucky 



The American settlers were far from being as cultured 
and refined as the French, and though by the year 1804 
they were numerically stronger than the French, their 
isolation had prevented them from taking the lead. 
What is now Missouri was therefore largely French in 
character when the United States acquired it. 

By far the most 'notable and the most picturesque char- 
acter among the Americans who had settled in what is 
now Missouri prior to 1804 was Daniel Boone. He was 

descended from a family that 
had emigrated from England 
to Pennsylvania in 17 17. 
Here Daniel was born in 
1732. When he was eighteen 
years old his father moved 
his family of eleven children 
to western North Carolina, 
following rather leisurely one 
of the valleys of the Alle- 
ghany Mountains which runs 
from Pennsylvania to west- 
ern North Carolina, along 
which numerous other emi- 
grants also were traveling. 
Here Daniel married and began the rearing of a family. 
It was not long, however, before game became scarce 
in that part of North Carolina, owing to the increasing 
population ; and to satisfy his own mastering passion 
for hunting and his desire to live the life of a frontiers- 
man, Boone in company with several others began in 1769 
to hunt and explore the Kentucky region. After several 
years of adventure, he established Boonesborough in 1775. 
Before long he found that Kentucky was becoming "too 
crowded" to suit him. Moreover, he lost the lands that 
he had acquired in that region through some defect of 
title, due to his carelessness in failing to observe the 
legal forms of entry. 




Daniel Boone 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 



63 



He finally migrated to Missouri and took up his abode 3. in 
in the Femme Osage settlement, which had been estab- ^I'ssoun 
lished two years previously by his son, Daniel Morgan 




Boone's Cabin in Missouri 

Boone, near the Missouri River, about twenty miles above 
St. Charles. The next year Boone was appointed syndic 
of the settlement by Governor De Lassus, and for four 
years he served in this capacity. He was not learned in 

:^' ■ 




Nathan Boone's House 

In this house Daniel Boone died in 1820. It is still standing, three 
miles north of Marthasville, Missouri. 



64 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



4. Death 



the law, but he had a strong sense of justice, and through 
the fairness of his decisions he won at once the approbation 
of his neighbors. He is said to have resorted to methods 
that were primitive and arbitrary : he frequently used 
whipping as the penalty for infractions of law ; he did not 
trouble himself about the rules of evidence, but sought to 
get at the facts in the case by the most direct method 
possible. 

Boone's unfortunate experience with Kentucky lands 
was repeated in Missouri. He had been granted 10,000 

acres by Governor De Lassus 
in return for bringing into 
Upper Louisiana one hundred 
and fifty families from Virginia 
and Kentucky, but the grant 
was never confimied because 
he failed to get it properly cer- 
tified. Later, however. Con- 
gress granted him 1000 acres 
as a mark of recognition for 
his public services. 

He died in 1820 at the 
home of his son, Nathan 
Boone, three miles north of 
La Charette, now known as 
Marthasvillc, in Warren 
County, where he had spent most of the time in his 
last years. Nathan Boone's house was a two-story stone 
building, the first of its kind in Missouri, and is still 
standing. Here visitors from all parts of the country 
came to see Daniel Boone and hear from him the thrill- 
ing story of the pioneer's life in the New West. 

His body was moved from Missouri to Frankfort, Ken- 
tucky, in 1845 ; but his grave there remained unmarked 
until 1880, when a monument was erected over it. 




Nathan Boone 

One of Daniel Boone's sons. From 
Houck's History of Missouri. 



MISSOURI DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD 65 

REFERENCES 

General — Carr, Missouri, ch. iii. Viles, " Population and Extent 
of Settlement in Missouri before 1804," in the Missouri Historical 
Review, July, 191 1, pp. 189-213. A study testing the sources of 
information on the subject. 

Westward Movement of Population — Houck, History of Mis- 
souri, i, pp. 329-75. 

Ste. Genevieve District — Houck, i, pp. 355-87. 

St. Louis District — Houck, ii, pp. 46-78. 

St. Charles District — Houck, ii, pp. 79-102. 

New Madrid District — Houck, ii, pp. 103-66. 

Cape Girardeau District — Houck, ii, pp. 167-92. 

Government — Houck, ii, pp. 192-230. 

Social Conditions — Houck, ii, pp. 231-86. 

Daniel Boone — Thwaites, Daniel Boone, ch. xv. One of the best 
biographies of the great western pioneer that has ever been written. 
Drawn from the material that had been collected by Dr. Lyman 
Draper, who died before he could work it over into a book. Bryan, 
"Daniel Boone," in the Missouri Historical Review for January, 
1908, pp. 89-98 ; April, 1908, pp. 198-205 ; July, 1909, pp. 293- 
299; October, 1909, pp. 29-35; January, 1910, pp. 85-91. A series 
of articles on Daniel Boone dealing particularly with his life in 
Missouri. 




Type of the Robidou House 
In which the first newspaper was published in 1808. 




CHAPTER IV 

INDIAN TROUBLES IN MISSOURI DURING THE 
WAR OF 1812 



Indian 
Tribes in 
Missouri in 
1812 . 



I. South of 
the Missouri 
River 



[Historical Setting. — The War of 1812.] 

During the War of 18 12 the settlers in what is now 
Missouri were greatly troubled by Indian attacks, many 

of which were inspired by the 
British, with whom the Ameri- 
cans were at war. Inasmuch 
as these attacks had consider- 
able influence upon the de- 
velopment of Missouri, they 
may well be considered briefly 
in this chapter. 

When the War of 18 12 broke 
out, there were several Indian 
tribes living within the present 
boundaries of Missouri. Among 
them the most important were 
the Osages, the Sacs and Foxes, 
the Missouris, the Shawnees, 
and the Delawares. The Osages 
were the most numerous, there 
being about eight thousand of 
them in that region in 1819. 
They lived south of the Mis- 
souri River, chiefly along the Osage, a tributary of the Mis- 
souri. They were noted for their athletic physique, their 
sobriety, and their warlike disposition. They were feared 
by both Indians and whites. We have seen in a former 
chapter that as a means of protection against them the 

66 




A Shawnee Indian 

From Stevens' Missouri, the 
Center State, by permission of the 
Missouri Historical Society. 



INDIAN TROUBLES DURING THE WAR OF 1812 67 

Spanish government in the latter part of the eighteenth 
century had authorized Lorimier to bring in a band 
of Shawnees and Delawares and settle them on Apple 
Creek and other small tributaries of the Mississippi, 
near Cape Girardeau. These Indians, however, did 
not render the protection that had been expected, and 
the Osages continued to trouble the whites as before. 
By 18 1 2 the Shawnees and Delawares were to be 
found along the Whitewater River as well as along the 
Mississippi. 

North of the Missouri River were the Sacs and Foxes 2. North of 
and the Missouris. The Missouris were located near the ^^^ Missouri 
mouth of the Grand River, a tributary of the Missouri. 
They were later dispersed by the Sacs and Foxes, who 
held the territory between the Missouri and the Missis- 
sippi as far north as the headwaters of the Des Moines and 
the Iowa rivers. It is customary to speak of the Sacs 
and Foxes together because of the thorough and complete 
consolidation of these tribes. 

By the time the War of 181 2 began, the population of Growth of 
what is now Missouri had grown to be about 20,000, Settlements, 
having doubled since the purchase of Louisiana from 
France in 1803. But the area of settlement had not been of Popuia- 
extended very much. Most of the newcomers during ^'°° 
the interval between the purchase of Louisiana and the 
breaking out of the War of 18 1 2 had settled in the territory 
that had already been occupied, that is, along the Mis- 
sissippi and the Missouri from New Madrid up to St. 
Charles, or had pushed out to the west from this region 
only a few miles. Some, however, had undertaken to 2. Extension 

establish themselves in isolated places farther up the of Area of 
•n «•• • • • 1 1 Tvx- • AT 1 -f , Settlement 

Mississippi and the Missouri. A few had gone up the 

Mississippi to Cuivre River in what is now Lincoln Coimty, 
and others had gone as far north as the present Hannibal. 
On the Missouri a few men attempted to establish them- 
selves still farther up, in what was called Boone's Lick 
country. The name Boone's Lick was applied to the 



68 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Indian 
Warfare 



I. Activity 
of the 

Indians East 
of the Mis- 
sissippi 
River 



territory in and around the present Howard County. 
It arose from the fact that in 1807 two sons of Daniel 
Boone had made salt at a salt spring, or lick, in what is 
now Howard County, and had brought back to their 
friends in the older settlements an account of the fine 
agricultural country in that vicinity. The first attempt to 
establish a settlement in this country was made by Ben- 
jamin Cooper in 1808. He was compelled, however, to 
abandon the effort for the time being, because the right 
to the territory had not been acquired from the Indians 
at that time. Nevertheless, by 18 12 there were several 
hundred settlers in the Boone's Lick country. During 
the war, however, immigration to this region was com- 
pletely stopped because of the Indian hostilities, and 
many of the settlers who had already established them- 
selves there abandoned their claims and took up their 
abode in the more thickly settled regions. 

The greatest danger to which Missourians who had 
settled along the Mississippi River were exposed during 
the war came from the Indians living east of that river, 
who had been stirred up by English agents. In fact, 
these agents had been active in stirring up the Indians 
even before the war broke out. Roving bands of savages 
who had been furnished with arms by these English agents 
had crossed the Mississippi and engaged in horse stealing 
and other marauding. After the war was declared, the 
Sacs and Foxes who lived along the Rock River in Illi- 
nois were induced to make war against the settlers in 
Missouri, and throughout the war they proved the most 
troublesome of all the Indians engaged in it. Fortunately 
the English were not able to enlist the Indians west of 
the Mississippi as they had those to the east of it. If 
they had succeeded in getting the Indians on both sides 
of the river to join in a combined attack, all the new 
frontier settlements in Missouri would have been com- 
pletely wiped out and great loss would also have been 
inflicted on the older settlements. 



INDIAN TROUBLES DURING THE WAR OF 1812 69 



The situation, however, was very serious and called 
forth energetic efforts on the part of the territorial 
governor of Missouri. The militia was ordered out, 
and forts and stations were established and garrisoned. 
Patrols were placed along the Mississippi and the Mis- 
souri rivers and in the more exposed districts. A volun- 
teer force of about 1400 men was sent up the Mississippi 
under General Howard in September, 18 13, to attack the 
Illinois Sacs and Foxes, who were 
giving the most trouble. He was 
unable to bring them into open 
battle, but he burned several of 
their villages and destroyed many 
of their stores of corn, and thus put 
a check upon their attacks. 

The situation became so serious 
in the Boone's Lick country, be- 
cause of the frequent Indian raids, 
that General Henry Dodge, who 
was in command of the militia of 
the territory, was ordered in Sep- 
tember, 18 14, to take a body of 350 
mounted rangers and go to the 
relief of the settlers in that region 
With Dodge's command there were 
forty or fifty of the friendly Shaw- 
nees and Delawares from the Cape 
Girardeau District. On reaching 

what is now Saline County, Dodge was able, through his 
Indian allies, to locate the hostile Miamis and shortly 
afterward to effect their capture. The Miamis, 153 in 
all, surrendered, and were promised that their lives should 
be spared. 

At no time during the war did the Indians take the 
warpath in great nunibers. They always went in small 
roving bands and slipped u]:)on unsuspecting settlers in 
their homes. As the militia c(juld not be everywhere to 




General Henry Dodge 

From Houck's History •>f 
Miswuri. 



2. Militia 
Expeditions 
under Gen- 
eral Howard 
and General 
Dodge 



3. Erection 
of Forts 



70 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Treaties of 
Peace with 
the Indians 



ward off the attacks by these bands, the settlers were 
compelled to build forts and thus protect themselves, 
particularly in the more remote settlements. Some of 
these forts were built near what is now Hannibal and in 
what are now St. Charles, Lincoln, Howard, and Cole 
counties. 

These forts in most instances were merely strong 
log houses with a projecting upper story and with loop- 
holes through which the muskets and rifles of those in- 
side were fired. In the large settlements, however, 
they were stockades which inclosed several cabins or 
houses. Into these places of defense the settlers would 
flee when they heard of an Indian attack, and remain 
until the enemy had departed. It was not often that 
the Indians undertook to take a fort, and when they 
did attempt it, they generally failed. They usually 
plundered the abandoned cabins and drove off the 
horses. The settlers who were killed during these raids 
were those who either were unable to get into the forts 
during an attack or who took risks in pursuing the 
Indians. 

After two years of this sort of warfare, which kept 
the settlers in an almost continuous state of anxiety 
and fear, peace was finally made between England 
and the United States in December, 1814. At that 
time there were 1200 or 1500 Indian warriors along 
Rock River and Des Moines River who were still on 
the warpath ; and it has been asserted that even after 
the news of peace had reached this country, they were 
yet being secretly urged by the English agents to con- 
tinue their depredations. However that may have been, 
peace with the Indians was ultimately secured at a con- 
ference held at Portage des Sioux in the St. Charles 
District in June, 181 5. 

At this conference fonner treaties which had been made 
with different tribes regarding the cession of Indian lands 
were ratified. One of these treaties had been made witli 



INDIAN TROUBLES DURING THE WAR OE 1S12 71 

the Sacs and Foxes in 1804, according to which they i. Ratifica- 

had ceded, among other lands, the territory bounded on ^joi^of Ces- 

two sides by the Missouri and the Mississippi and on the Lands by 

third side by a hne drawn from the mouth of the Gas- "^i^^,^*^^ 

•^ and roxes 

conade River to the river Jeffron or Salt River, thirty 
miles above its mouth, and then down that river to its 
junction with the Mississippi. The district thus ceded 
included what are now Marion, Ralls, Pike, Lincoln, St. 
Charles, Warren, and Montgomery counties, and portions 
of Audrain and Monroe counties. It was later claimed 
by the Sacs and Foxes that this treaty had been made by 
their chiefs without authority, and this was one of the 
principal causes of the ill feeling that existed between 
these tribes and the Americans during the War of 1 8 1 2 . 
The treaty of 1804, however, was ratified at the close 
of the war. It was not, however, until 1823 that the Sacs 
and Foxes completed their cessions of territory in Mis- 
souri.^ 

Another of the treaties ratified in 181 5 was the one made 2. Cessions 
in 1808 with the Osages. By this treaty they had agreed oLges 
to cede to the United States all the land between the 
Missouri and Mississippi rivers, and the line running 
from Fort Osage on the Missouri due south to the Ar- 
kansas River and thence down that river to the Mississippi. 
They also ceded by this treaty whatever claims they had 
to territory north of the Missouri River. By a subse- 
quent treaty, in 1823, the Osages gave up their right to 
the lands which they had claimed in the western part of 

* Apparently the treaty of 1 804 was confirmed in 1 8 1 5 by the 
Foxes and by only those Sacs who resided on the Des Moines River. 
It was subsequently confirmed by the vSacs on Rock River in 18 16. 
In 1823 the Sacs and Foxes ceded all their rights to the territory 
north of the Missouri between the Mississippi and the Missouri 
rivers, and a line on the west running from the mouth of Kansas 
River north for 100 miles. In 1830 they ceded all their claims to 
that portion of the territory that was added to the State in 1836, 
commonly known as the Platte Purchase. This purchase included 
Platte, Buchanan, Andrew, Holt, Nodaway, and Atchison counties. 



72 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Extinction 
of Indian 
Titles in 
Missouri 



Munitions 
of War from 
Missouri in 
the War of 
1812 



the State. These lands included the territory within the 
limits of the present Jackson, Cass, Bates, Vernon, Jasper, 
Newton, and McDonald counties. 

At the same time at which the Osages made their last 
cession, the Kansas Indians likewise ceded whatever 
lands they claimed in Missouri. Other cessions were 
made later by other Indians, such as the Kickapoos, 
the lowas, the Shawnees, and the Delawares, so that 
by 1833 the title of the Indians to lands in Missouri — 
amounting to over 39,000,000 acres — was completely 
extinguished. 

This chapter should not be brought to a close without 
some mention being made of another part that Missouri 
played in the War of 181 2. It was from Missouri that 
large quantities of munitions of war were obtained for 
the armies of the United States in this war. The lead 
industry in Missouri was an old one when this war broke 
out and had had much to do with the early development 
of Missouri. But just prior to the beginning of the war a 
big improvement was made in the manufacture of bullets 
in Missouri, which made the lead industry very important 
in that war. Heretofore, the making of bullets in Missouri 
had been by the hand mold process, and hence the out- 
put was limited. But about 1809 John Nicholas Maclot, 
a political exile from France, made his way to the lead 
regions of Missouri and discovered that Herculaneum of- 
fered certain facilities for the erection of a shot tower. 
Just below the town was a high and overhanging cliff, 
and he saw that about all that was needed was to erect 
on the edge of this cliff a place where the lead could be 
melted and then dropped into some sort of receptacle 
at the base. He immediately acted upon his discovery 
and, after erecting a tower, advertised that he was ready 
to manufacture buckshot and bullets at a reasonable 
price. It was from this shot tower that ammunition was 
sent in large quantities to the armies of the United States 
in the War of 18 12, and the victory of New Orleans in 



INDIAN TROUBLES DURING THE WAR OF 1812 73 

18 1 5 is said to have been won with the bullets that had 
been mantifactured there. 



REFERENCES 

Houck, History of Missouri, vol. iii, ch. xxvi. Carr, Missouri, pp. 
98-108. Ferrill, "Missouri Military in the War of 1812," in the 
Missouri Historical Review, October, 1909, pp. 38-41. A brief 
article showing that Missouri furnished a number of recruits for the 
War of 1812.. 



>#3„,:..jte^. 



iimmm ,.. i .if II. life ^M 






Old Fort and Stockade 



CHAPTER V 



Increase in 
Population 
in Missouri 
by 1820 



T. Immigra- 
tion from 
Virginia, 
Kentucky, 
and Other 
States 



CONDITIONS IN MISSOURI DURING THE TERRITORIAL 

PERIOD 

[Historical Setting. — The Missouri Compromise.] 

The Indian troubles that Missouri experienced during 
the War of 1 8 1 2 came to an end through the ratification 
of various treaties with the different Indian tribes in 18 15, 
as we have just seen in the preceding chapter. With 
peace once more established the growth of Missouri was 
resumed, and within six years she was admitted into the 
Union as the twenty-fourth state. Inasmuch as it is a 
matter of interest and importance to know what con- 
ditions prevailed in Missouri on the eve of her admission 
into the Union, this chapter will be devoted to that topic. 

Notwithstanding the distress that was incident to the 
War of 1812, there had been an actual increase in the 
population of the territory of Missouri during the period 
of that conflict. The population was 20,845 in 18 10, 
and in 18 14 it was more than 25,000. But this increase 
is nothing as compared to that which occurred during the 
five years following the close of the war. By 1820 the 
population had grown to more than 66,000, an increase 
of 1 50 per cent. 

Most of the people who settled in what is now Missouri 
during the five years from 181 5 to 1820 came from Vir- 
ginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Ken- 
tucky -and Tennessee were by this time becoming i:)opu- 
latcd at least to the extent that good lands were no longer 
to be had chea])ly ; hence, many migrated from there to 
Missouri, where land could be obtained at a low price and 

74 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 75 

in large amounts. At one time it was reported that on 
an average about 500 people crossed the Mississippi to 
St. Louis every day, and that most of these newcomers 
brought slaves with them. Of course, the rapid influx 
of people into Missouri had its effect on the price of land. 
One man, writing in January, 181 5, said that while land 
could yet be bought very cheaply, the price was fast 
rising. He had bought some land three years previously 
at ten cents an acre, and had recently been offered eight 
dollars an acre for it. Town lots in Franklin, Howard 
County, had in one year gone up from $50 to $600. It 
is not to be supposed that land everywhere in Missouri 
had risen in value to that degree, but what was true in 
the cases just cited was doubtless true in many others 
at that time. 

Many of the new immigrants to Missouri stopped in 2. Growth of 
those portions of the territory that had already been c^ti'^'^'^ 
settled, but most of them went either up the Missouri in Missouri 
to Boone's Lick and even farther, or up the Mississippi 
toward what is now Hannibal.^ Of the 66,000 or more 
people in the Missouri Territory in 1820, fully 20,000 were 
to be found in the counties along the Missouri above St. 
Charles and St. Louis counties, and fully 10,000 were to 
be found in the counties along the Mississippi north of 
the mouth of the Missouri, including St. Charles, Lincoln, 
and Pike counties. 

Some of these new settlements in the interior had 
phenomenal growth. Franklin, for example, was founded 
on the Missouri River opposite Boonville in 1817, and 
within one year it contained 150 houses. By 1820 it 
was the second place in the territory in importance, having 
a population of more than 1000. Unfortunately, however, 
it was situated on low bottom land, and within ten years 
it had been washed away completely by the Missouri 
River ; but with its disappearance Boonville, which had 

' At least two roads had been opened uj) to the Boone's Lick 
country, one from St. Charles to Franklin and the other from Potosi. 



76 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

been founded in 1819 and which had grown very slowly 
at first, began to develop rapidly. Chariton was another 
interior town that grew up quickly. It was established in 
1 8 18 and within a year's time contained 50 houses and 
500 people. 

During the five years intervening between 18 15 and 
1820, settlements were made in every one of the present 
counties lying on both sides of the Missouri River as far 
up as Ray and Lafayette. Moreover, a few settlers made 
their way into the southwestern part of the State, coming 
up the White River from Arkansas and settling in the 
neighborhood of what is now Springfield. As was natural, 
St. Louis shared in this rapid development that was going 
on throughout the territory. It had come to be the 
commercial center of what is now Missouri very shortly 
after it was founded, and has retained that position ever 
since. Its population had increased from 1000 in 1804 
to 5000 in 1820, and although the American element had 
become strong and numerous, the place had not alto- 
gether lost its French character by 1820. The old French 
families were still the leaders in business and in society, 
and like the present city of Montreal in Canada, both 
French and English were heard on the streets of St. Louis 
to about the same extent. 
3. Decline in There was only one part of the territory that decreased 
^°P"'^^*°'^ in its population during the territorial period, and that 
Madrid was the region around New Madrid. This was due to 

District ^^g earthquake that occurred in 181 1. The land there 

was always more or less swampy and did not attract 
farmers very strongly. After a time the game was killed 
ofif and the Indians moved away, thus bringing about 
a decrease in the Indian traffic. Already dissatisfied 
with the country, the people were not slow in abandoning 
it by the hundreds after the earthquake. Of the 200 
families that, prior to the catastrophe, lived at Little 
Prairie, now Caruthersville, only two remained. The 
region most violently affected by the earthquake was 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORL\L PERIOD 77 



about thirty miles 
square, including 
what are now New 
Madrid and Pemiscot 
counties, from the 
towns of New Ma- 
drid to Little Prairie. 
Certain parts of this 
affected district have 
never fully recovered 
from the disaster. In 
recent years, however, 
something has been 
done toward reclaim- 
ing the swamps of 
southeastern Mis- 
souri, and there is 
promise now of good 
returns in the near 
future from these 
efforts.^ 

As was natural, this 
increase in population 
that we have been 
noting — especially 
between 1 8 1 5 and 
1820 — led to the for- 
mation of new coun- 
ties. In 1804 there 

were just five districts in Upper Louisiana ; namely, St. Formation 
Charles, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, and Q^^^ties. 
New Madrid. They stretched along the Mississippi with 1804-20 

^ Congress was appealed to in behalf of the New Madrid sufferers 
and passed an act in 1816 extending liberal relief. The landowners 
whose lands were damaged by the earthquake were permitted to 
give up their holdings and to take in exchange an equal amount of 
government land anywhere else. "This opened a wide door and 




District of Louisiana, 1804 

Showing the five districts (later called counties) into 
which it was divided. Reproduced by permission of 
the Political Science Department of the University of 
Missouri. 



78 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



no definite boundaries 
to the west. No 
change was made in 
this arrangement until 
1812, when the five 
districts were by proc- 
lamation of the terri- 
torial governor re- 
organized into five 
counties. Later in the 
same year that portion 
of Ste. Genevieve 
County around what 
was called Mine a 
Breton, now Potosi, 
was set apart by the 
territorial legislature 
as Washington Coun- 
ty. In 18 13 what is 
now the state of Ar- 
kansas was nominally 
a part of New Madrid 
County. In 18 15 
Lawrence County was 
created out of New 
Madrid County, and 
in 18 16 all the terri- 
tory north of the Osage 
River was erected into 
Howard County, including what had been parts of St. Louis 
brought on speculation and litigation. The actual sufferers were in 
nearly every instance defrauded." Before they could find out 
that Congress had provided this means of relief for them, they 
were besieged with land speculators who bought up the injured 
lands for a trifle and proceeded to exchange them for valuable 
government lands elsewhere. When the more unscrupulous and 
dishonest New Madrid settlers discovered what was going on, 
they sold some claims several times to different speculators, and. 




Territory of Missouri, 1813 

Showing the seven counties into which it was 
divided. Reproduced by permission of the Political 
Science Department of the University of Missouri. 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 79 



and St. Charles coun- 
ties. The Boone's Lick 
country lay within the 
borders of Howard 
County in 1816.^ Be- 
cause of the fact that 
thirty-one counties 
were later carved out 
of the original Howard 
County, she has borne 
the name of "Mother 
of Counties." 

In 18 18 Lawrence 
County was abolished 
and eight new counties 
were established as 
follows : Wayne out of 
Cape Girardeau and 
Lawrence ; Franklin 
out of St. Louis ; Pike, 
Montgomery, and Lin- 
coln out of St. Charles ; 
Jefferson out of St. 
Louis and Ste. Gene- 
vieve ; Madison out 
of Ste. Genevieve and 
Cape Girardeau ; 
Cooper out of How- 
ard. ^ In 1820 Callaway, Boone, Chariton, and Ray were 

of course, this brought on Htigation. Under the New Madrid 
certificates which were issued by the St. Louis land office to the 
owners of land injured by the earthquake, much valuable land was 
taken up in the Boone's Lick territory and near St. Louis and even 
around Chicago. 

1 In 1 91 6 Howard County appropriately celebrated in a very 
elaborate way the one hundredth anniversary of her founding. 

2 At the same time Arkansas County was divided into four 
counties, Pulaski, Clark, Hempstead, and Arkansas. 




Territory of Missouri, 181 6 
Showing nine counties. Reproduced by permission 
of the Political Science Department of the University 
of Missouri. 



8o 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



created out of Howard ; Lillard, Saline, and Cole out 
of Cooper ; Gasconade out of Franklin ; ■*;Ralls out of 

Pike ; and Perry out 
of Ste. Genevieve. 

Meanwhile the terri- 
tory of Arkansas had 
been organized in 1 8 19 
by cutting off that 
portion of the Mis- 
souri territory that 
comprises the present 
states of Arkansas and 
Oklahoma. 

It will be noted 
from this summary 
that at the time Mis- 
souri was admitted 
into the Union in 182 1 
there were twenty-five 
counties in the State, 
and by consulting the 
maps in this chapter 
one will see that these 
counties were strung 
along the Mississippi 
and the Missouri in 
the shape of a rough 
letter T, — a double 
tier of counties along 
the Mississippi, and a 
row of them along 
each side of the Mis- 
up to what is 




Territory of Missouri, Jan. x, i8ig 

Showing twenty-two counties. On March 2, 1819, 
the Territory of Arkansas was created by Congress, 
thus cutting oS the lower counties of the Territory of 
Missouri as shown in this map. Reproduced by per- 
mission of the Political Science Department of the 
University of Missouri. 



soun 

now Kansas City. The rest of the State outside of these 
counties was practically unsettled. 

Notwithstanding this rapid increase in the popula- 
tion of Missouri, it was still in the pioneer stage in, 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 8 1 



1820. It was after all but sparsely settled, the average Pioneer 
density throughout the State being only one person to in°Missouri 
every square mile.' Even if only those sections of the 







Missouri Counties in 1821 

Missouri was divided into twenty-five counties at the time of her admission 
into the Union. Reproduced by permission of the Political Science Depart- 
ment of the University of Missouri. 

State that contained any settlements at all be considered, 
there were not more than three persons to the square 
mile. Moreover, Missouri was the most western section 

1 According to the census of 19 10 the present average density 
of population in Missouri is a little over 48 per square mile. The 
population is 3,293,335, and the area 68,736 square miles. 



82 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. Turbu- 
lence and 
Disorder 



(a) Drunken- 
ness and 
Gambling 



of the United States ; beyond it lay a vast stretch 
of western country as yet unsettled and but little ex- 
plored. Life in Missouri in 1820, therefore, presented 
many of the usual characteristics of the frontier com- 
munity. 

But a new type of frontier or pioneer life was being 
developed in Missouri during the period between the 
Ijurchase of Louisiana in 1803 and the admission of 
Missouri as a state in 182 1. Prior to 1803 the comfortable 
and easy-going French way of living, as has already been 
said, prevailed in the villages. During the period of 
Spanish domination the people had no share in the govern- 
ment except in the most trifling local matters, and they 
seemingly did not care to have any more. Political 
discussion was unknown. Thanks to the almost des- 
potic military and civil authority, the Spanish officials 
were able to maintain very good order among the pioneer 
American emigrants who, even before 1803, had come to 
outnumber the French inhabitants. 

With the purchase of Louisiana a great change came 
over the situation. The despotic authority of the Spanish 
officials gave way to the milder popular rule of the Amer- 
icans. But this was by no means conducive to good 
order. Many of the Americans already settled in the 
country, who had been law-abiding because they feared 
the summary jurisdiction of Spanish courts, now became 
turbulent and lawless. In addition, a great many men 
bent on adventure, some of whom were depraved in char- 
acter, came flocking in. As a result a great deal of dis- 
order arose, and riots, contentions, and violence were not 
uncommon. 

The sale of liquor, which had been carefully controlled 
by the Spanish government, was now allowed without 
restriction at "taverns and groceries." This made in- 
evitable a great deal of drunkenness. Gambling, the 
twin evil of drunkenness, likewise prevailed very exten- 
sively and openly. Professional men, civil and military 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 83 

officials, merchants, and Indian traders, all indulged. 
Profanity was quite common. 

Sunday desecration became usual. On Sunday more (b) Sunday 
trading was done than on any other day in the week, esecration 
and no kind of labor was suspended on account of the 
day. But many found it possible on that day to give 
themselves to amusements of all sorts, some of which were 
very questionable at any time, and frequently the Sab- 
bath closed with fighting. 

But fighting was not confined to Sunday. It was (f) Fighting 
likely to occur at any time, especially among the river 
men and those who worked in the lead mines. They 
were a roving lot of men given to hard drinking and 
quarreling, and they often wound up their sprees in very 
brutal and often fatal combats. 

A more "dignified" form of combat prevailed among 
the better classes — the duel. This was fought generally 
with pistols, and the effort on the part of each antagonist 
was to kill, not merely to wound as in the case of certain 
European duels. Men resorted to the duel in order to 
determine who was the "best man," and it was expected 
that those who were personal rivals, especially among the 
doctors, lawyers, and politicians, would some time or 
other meet on the "field of honor" and settle their dif- 
ferences by means of arms. For that reason the most triv- 
ial circumstances would often bring forth a challenge ; and 
to refuse to accept a challenge was a confession of cow- 
ardice ; and to be branded a coward meant ostracism and 
the winding up of one's career, in that part of the world, 
at least. The number of prominent men in Missouri 
who engaged in duels either as principals or seconds was 
very large, and is a sad commentary on the moral stand- 
ards of the time. 

It is almost needless to say that everybody went armed 
most of the time, even at social functions and during 
sessions of court. Generally these weapons were con- 
cealed, but sometimes they were carried in full sight. 



84 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(d) Raids on 
Indians 



2. Specula- 
tions 



3. Political 
Agitations 



Indications 
of .Progress 



I. Profes- 
sional 
Classes 



2. Schools 



Daggers and pistols were the usual weapons that were 
thus borne about. 

The Indians who had been protected by the Spanish 
government were now made to feel the effects of the 
hostile attitude of the Americans toward them. The 
Americans generally thought that "the only good Indian 
is a dead one." The villages of the Indians were there- 
fore raided and their property and horses stolen. 

Speculations soon became rife, and fraudulent schemes 
of various kinds were hatched up. Different enterprises 
were started only to end in bankruptcy, dragging a great 
many people down into financial ruin. 

The times were also marked by a great deal of agita- 
tion on many different subjects, especially politics. 
Political discussions were often nothing more than dis- 
putes carried on very boisterously, with much show of 
feeling and violence and very little of reasoning. 

There is another side, however, to this rather unlovely 
picture. Not everybody in Missouri was given to the 
things that have just been enumerated. There were 
many refined and intelligent residents in the new terri- 
tory, especially in St. Louis, where cordial relations were 
maintained among the leading French and American 
families. In several towns private libraries of sufficient 
importance to attract public attention were formed. 
Physicians and surgeons, teachers and lawyers of consider- 
able ability began to come in and establish themselves. 

Many private schools were now being founded and, 
though very elementary as a rule, they offered opportuni- 
ties for acquiring the rudiments of an education. Dur- 
ing the Spanish period there had been but very few 
schools in what is now Missouri, and these, as well as the 
ones established during the territorial period, were con- 
fined to the villages and towns. Unfortunately, there 
were none to be found in the backwoods, and hence the 
children of these regions grew up in almost complete 
ignorance, and were therefore very quarrelsome. 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 85 

Practically nothing was done, however, during the 
territorial period toward the establishing of public schools, 
except an act passed by Congress in 1 8 1 2 , which provided 
that all lots and out lots, common fields, and commons 
in Portage des Sioux, St. Charles, St. Louis, St. Fer- 
dinand (Florissant), Village a Robert, and Little Prairie 
(Caruthersville) , not rightfully owned or claimed by any 
private individual, should be granted to the several towns 
for school purposes. This grant is said to have become 
the foundation on which the system of public schools of 
St. Louis was built. In 18 17 the territorial legislature 
passed an act providing for the organization of the St. 
Louis public schools. 

During the territorial period Protestant churches were 3- Churches 
firmly established in almost all of the settled areas. Not- "" 
withstanding the Spanish restrictions against Protestants, 
mention of which was made in the preceding chapter, 
they came to what is now Missouri in large numbers 
during the Spanish period, thanks to the rather loose (a) Removal 
manner in which the religious regulations concerning the of^^V^'P"^ 
admission of immigrants were administered. Only oc- 
casionally did prospective Protestant immigrants find 
the tests so intolerable that they turned back and settled 
elsewhere. But since they were not allowed to maintain 
public worship or to organize congregations, they degen- 
erated in their morals and faith. After the purchase of 
Louisiana, however, all religious restrictions were removed, 
and Protestant preachers and missionaries began to come 
in fairly large numbers and to take up with great zeal 
the work of organizing the Protestant churches. 

Before 1820 all the important Protestant churches had (b) Adapta- 
organizations in Missouri, but the Baptists and Metho- ^^^^l^°! ^^ 
dists had the greatest success in getting themselves es- Methodists 
tablished. The explanation of this fact is to be found t? ^d°tTris 
first of all in the system of itinerancy that prevailed in 
the Baptist and Methodist churches. They had no such 
educational qualifications for their ministers as had the 



86 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(c) Baptists 
in Missouri 



Presbyterians, the Congregationalists, and the Episco- 
pahans, and hence any man who felt called upon to enter 
the field was sent. The sparse population of the country 
made it necessary for these preachers to travel in long 
circuits from place to place on horseback or on foot, and 
often through unsettled portions of the country. They 
took up this work gladly, and often they were the only 
ministers that ever reached the remote and out-of-the- 
way settlements in this early period. 

In the second place, the style of preaching of the Baptist 
and Methodist ministers enabled them to appeal more 
effectively to the people than that of the preachers of 
the other denominations. Most of their preaching was 
of an elemental character and was directed to the emotions 
of their hearers, and inasmuch as they themselves were very 
much like the people among whom they worked, they knew 
how to drive home their appeals and exhortations. They 
were not any more zealous or self-sacrificing than those 
of other denominations, but they knew how to adapt them- 
selves more readily 
to the conditions 
under which they 
had to labor, and 
as a result they 
early obtained the 
lead in the reli- 
gious life of the 
country. 

To the Baptists 
belongs the honor 
of having organ- 
ized the first Pro- 
testant church in 
what is now Missouri. Properly enough it was organized 
in that section which was from the first purely American, 
namely, Cape Girardeau. In 1806 a Baptist preacher 
by the name of Daniel Green came from Kentucky to 




Bethel Baptist Church 

The first Baptist church building west of the 
Mississippi River. Erected in 1806 near Cape 
Girardeau. It long ago disappeared. 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 87 




Rev. John Mason Peck 

The most prominent of the early 
pioneer Baptist preachers in Mis- 
souri. 



Missouri and began to preach 
in the various settlements of 
Cape Girardeau District. 
During that year he organ- 
ized the Bethel Baptist 
Church, and a small log 
church building was erected 
for the use of the congrega- 
tion. It is true a preacher 
belonging to the German 
Reformed Church came into 
the Cape Girardeau District 
in 1803 and preached at 
many places in the district 
to the Germans who had 
settled there, and effected 
some sort of an organization 

before 1806. But what he did was not so definite as 
that which was done by Green, and for this reason the 
credit of establishing the first Protestant church organiza- 
tion is generally given to the Baptists. In all probability 
there were other Protestants going about from place to 
place preaching before 1806, but there seems to be no 

record of the fact. 

At about the same 
time at which Bethel 
Church was estab- 
lished by the Baptists 
in the Cape Girar- 
deau District, the 
Methodists organized 
one in the same dis- 
trict at McKendree, 
about three miles 
west of from the present 

the Mississippi River. Erected in 1806 near foTirt-i of Tackson 
Jackson, Missouri. It is still used by a Methodist 

congregation. Soon after that a log 




McKendree Chapel 

The first Methodist church building 



(d) Metho- 
dists in 
Missouri 



88 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(e) Protes- 
tant 

Churches in 
St. Louis 



house of worship was built, and though it has been 
altered somewhat it still stands and is still used by a 
Methodist congregation. The Missouri Conference was 

organized in 1816, and con- 
sisted at that time of four 
circuits. 1 

No Protestant church 
seems to have been estab- 
lished in St. Louis until 18 16, 
when Timothy Flint arrived 
and proceeded to organize a 
Presbyterian church. The 
Baptists did not organize a 
church in St. Louis until 
18 1 8. The Episcopalians 
established themselves there 
in 18 19, and it appears that 
the Methodists did not un- 
dertake work there until 
1820. 

No other men labored so 
hard and faithfully with so 




Bishop McKendree 



Presiding bishop over the Metho- 
dist Conference held at Mt. Zion 
Church in 1818, the first one ever 

(/) Influence fc'l,'^J!Lf-.^iJr!-„!^l'''^fTJ!L^.'!." 

of Pioneer 

Preachers 



From Houck's History of Missouri. 



little remuneration as did the pioneer preachers of Mis- 
souri. It was the prevailing idea among the early Amer- 
ican settlers that "ministers ought to preach without 
hope or promise of any compensation from their hearers 
or congregations," and many a preacher felt the full 
effects of this fixed notion. To a certain extent the 
preachers themselves were responsible for this condition, 
especially for its continuance. In time better educated 
ministers began to appear even among the Baptists and 
Methodists, and they, of course, expected remuneration 
of some sort. But the uneducated pioneer preachers 

'In 19 1 6 the various Conferences of the M. E. Church and 
M. E. Church, South, in Missouri held appropriate celebrations 
in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the found- 
ing of the Missouri Conference in 1816. 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 89 



opposed the newcomers as being intruders upon their 
fields, and proclaimed very loudly against pay being given 
to any minister for his services. 

It is not possible to measure the influence that these 
pioneer preachers exerted upon their times. Many of 
them were given in a measure to some of the besetting 
sins of their people, such as drinking. But, allowing 
for whatever shortcomings they may have had, they 
were sincere and devoted to their work, and they played 
no small part in the task of taming the wild spirits of the 
frontier and in bringing the country to a more settled 
condition of life. 

The transfer of Louisiana to the United States in 1803 
had for the time being a very injurious effect upon the 
Catholic Church throughout that territory. The priests 



(g) Catholics 
in Missouri 



t 



^'1 




Second Catholic Church Building in St. Louis 

Erected in 1776 on the site of the first building, which soon became unfit 
for use. The walls in this second building were made of logs placed upright, 
and the interstices were filled with clay and straw. From Houck's History of 
Missouri. 



were no longer sure of fixed salaries under the auspices of 
the government as they had been under Spain, and 
all but a very few of them left their posts and returned 
to Spain or Cuba. Probably they disliked the idea of 
being under American rule, and perhaps the prospect 
of poverty had something to do with their leaving the 
territory. 



90 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



For the next few years after 1803 the affairs of the 
Catholic Church in what is now Missouri dragged along 

in a very unsatisfactory 
manner. This was espe- 
cially true in St. Louis, which 
was without a resident priest 
for most of the time from 
1803 to 1 8 18. During that 
period the spiritual welfare 
of the faithful in St. Louis 
was attended to by priests 
who lived in other settle- 
ments in the Illinois and the 
Missouri country and who 
made occasional visits to St. 
Louis. 

A new era in the Catholic 
Church in Missouri began in 
18 1 8, when the Rt. Rev. 
WiUiam DuBourg, Bishop of 
Louis to assume the duties 
of his office. DuBourg had been appointed as adminis- 
trator of New Orleans in 1 8 1 2 ; but owing to a controversy 




Rt, Rev. William DuBourg, 
Bishop of Louisiana 

The first Catholic bishop to reside 
in St. Louis. He lived there from 
1 81 8 to 1824. From Stevens' Mis- 
souri, the Center State, by permission 
of the Missouri Historical Society. 



Louisiana, arrived in St. 




First Brick Catholic Church and College in St. Louis 

Erected shortly after 1818 in place of the log structure that 
had been built in 1776. 

which arose on his arrival between him and the pastor of 
the Cathedral Church of New Orleans, DuBourg soon 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 9 1 



left New Orleans and went to Rome, where he was con- 
secrated as bishop of Upper and Lower Louisiana. 

Heretofore the epis- 
copal residence of the 
bishop of Louisiana 
had been at New Or- 
leans. But DuBourg 
realized that for the 
time being, at least, it 
would be impracticable 
for him to attempt to 
reside at New Orleans, 
and so he made ar- 
rangements to move 
the episcopal seat from 
that place to St. Louis. 
Moreover, he hoped 
that before long the 
diocese of Louisiana 
would be divided into 
two dioceses and that 
he would be allowed to 
remain in the upper 
one. After spending 
some time in Europe 
gathering funds for the 
work in his new field and in enlisting men for service 
there, he made his way to St. Louis, arriving there in 
January, 18 18. Although there had been some indiffer- 
ence on the part of the Catholics of St. Louis and other 
parts of Upper Louisiana over his coming, he soon won 
the hearts of all and secured their loyal support.^ 

DuBourg was a man of considerable vision. He under- 
took many things that proved to be of great importance 

' The one hundredth anniversary of DuBourg's arrival in St. 
Louis was celebrated by the Catholics of that city by special services 
in the old cathedral in St. Louis on January 6, 1918. 




The Old Catholic Cathedral in 
St. Louis 

Erected in 1834. This is the fourth 
church building that has been erected on the 
church block that was laid out by Laclede in 
the original village in 1764. From Stevens' 
Missouri, the Center Slate, by permission of 
the Missouri Historical Society. 



92 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



4. News- 
papers 



in the history of the Catholic church in Missouri. Among 
other things he began the erection of a brick church 
building at St. Louis to replace the old log and post 

structure that had been built in 
1776.^ He remained in St. Louis 
until 1824, when he removed the 
episcopal seat to New Orleans, 
where he resided for two more 
years, resigning at the end of that 
time and returning to Europe. 

It was during the territorial 
period that the first newspapers 
were established in Missouri, — 
another important sign of the 
improving conditions. The first 
newspaper to be established, not 
only in Missouri, but also west 
of the Mississippi, was the Mis- 




JosEPH Charless 



Founder of the Missouri Ga- 
zette, the first newspaper west of 

the Mississippi River. It has souri Gazette, founded by Joseph 

had a continuous existence from QharleSS in St. Louis in 1808. 
1808 to the present. It is now 

called the St. Louis Republic. This paper has had a Continued 
From Houck's History of Mis- existence from that time to this, 

soun. . . ' 

under different names, and is 
now known as the St. Louis Republic} It is one of 
the few newspapers in the United States that has 
existed for more than a century. In the course of a 



'This brick church building was replaced in 1834 by a stone 
structure, the present old cathedral of St. Louis on Walnut and 
Second streets. This cathedral was built by Bishop Rosati, the first 
bishop of St. Louis. In 1914 a magnificent new Catholic cathedral 
was erected in the western part of St. Louis. 

2 On July 12, 1908, the St. Louis Republic celebrated its one 
hundredth anniversary by issuing a very elaborate and expensive 
edition. Among other things it reprinted in facsimile the earliest 
copy of the Gazette that has been preserved, which was No. 3 of 
Volume I, dated July 26, 1808. Unfortunately no copy of No. i 
of Volume I, which was issued on July 12, 1808, is known to be in 
existence. 



Missouri Gazette 

VOL.1. TUBSIMY. July ..'I'., iso.i No .1. 

cr w.iik: r/iiliQiANA "cn linen wafhed. Wc then rican wattrr. Such conduct ar- 

hl LUUib, uJUibirtiMrt. proceeded to Saint Domingo, gues fo hollileadetcrminjtiqnin 

Printed by Joseph Charless. where it was siippofed the cue- the government of the United 
, _ . niv had prcKCcdcd for the pur- States, that the general opinion 

Pnnter U ihe Territory. pjfeof landing troopr.; but on exprclfed hy the ofTicers of our 

-'- our arrival there we found no fquadron, "that a war with A- 

•fcrms of Subicripiiov. for the i>,ips After cruizing in the merica is inevitable," cannot be 
' ' ' Mono PalTage for (even oreight conlidered as founded upon 

MISSOURI GAZETTE. ti;,ys, we made all difpatch for weak or trivial grounds. We 
Three Dallars paid in advance. the c'oaft of America, and arri- fhould have expected that Mr. 
ved oflf the Chefepcake on the Rofe smiMion would at lead have 
Advertisements not exceeding a nth March We communicat- procured for our fquadron the 
square, will be inserted one week ftr ^J (^jth the Statira frigate, and richts of hofpitality, if it did not 
one dollar, and Fifty cents for every found that OUT Ambaffador, Mr. etfc<5t a complete re-eftablifh- 
coniinuance. those of a greater length Rofe, was at Washington for ment of the former good under- 
in proportion. the laft time, to determine whe- ftandmg between the two coijn- 

- ther it (hould be peace or war tries; but we fear the Frenchifi. 

Advcrtircmenrs sent to this Office, ^j,j, j^ngland. IVe. (hould have ed government of the United 
without specifying the time they are gone in, but the Yankies would States has fo far relignecl itfelf to 
to be inserted, will be continued until not let US have a pilot, nor fup- the bafeful inllucnce of the ca- 
forbid, and charged accordingly ply us with waterandprovifions, binet of theThuilleries, that no- 

which forced us to be content to thing but falutary challifement 
1 ^^^O live upon half our ufual allow- wiilbring it to a due fense of the 

I nwnriM A„r;i oo ance; they would not give us a pernicious error into which its 

^ LUINUU\, nprii ^.. fingle pint ofwateror a cabbage unnatural propcnfiticr, have per- 

Upon the lubjeet of Sir John ftock. We left the Eurydice, mitted it to be led. If America 
Duckworth's late cruize, we to brine us any intelligence that will have war with Great Britain, 
have been favored with the fol- might occur as to peace or war (be will have herfclf only to 
lowing extraift of a letter from ^jf^ America, and quitted the blame for the confequenccs. It 
an officer belonging to the (quad- inhofpitable fhores of America is our fincere wifh to remain at 
ron, dated for the Weftern lilands, where peace with her, and our minif- 

"Cawfand Bav Anril 18 we procured all we wanted, af- ters,it is well known, have adop- 

(..awland Bay, April 18. ^^^ F j^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ anxious ted every expedient ftiort of 
"Having run down the Bay cruife. The Governor of Flores comprifing the honor, the digni- 
of Eifcay, and called off Capes la Portuguefe,] came off to us, tyof the nation to avoid the ex- 
Ortugal and Finifterre.and Lif- but not being able to give us tremity of warfare; fcut we are 
bon,wc arrived off Madeira, and any information, the Admiral certainly not orepared to lay .the 
found Sir Samuel Hood, laying thought it moft expedient to honor and the elKential tnterefts 
in Funfchall roads, where we re- proceed for England, where we of the empire at the feet ofany 
mained for two days. On the arrived this morning, after hav- junto upon earth. The bkifter- 
morning of the 3d of February, ing beenthree months at fea. and ing American demagogues may 
his maiefty's fhip Comus, save made a complete circuit of the perhapshavefoundedfome por- 
usintelligenceofherhavingbeen VVellern and Atlantic Ocean, a tion of theirconfidenceuponthe 
chafed two days before to the journey of upwards of thirteen fupportof a certain party in this 
N. W. of Madeira, and it then thoufand miles." country; some of them, as we 

becameobvious that the deftina- We learn by other letters, lately took occafion «o remark, 
tion of the French fquadron was that our fquadron remained fe- may derive hopes from t,h«con- 
tiie Weft Indies, for which we veral days off the Chefepeake, fifcation of property and the 
proceeded with all expedition & and that the treatment it non-payment of debts; they 
made the iflands of St. Lucia and experienced was fucb as by no may conceal from themfelves 
Martinique in twenty one days, means to encourage the hopes their comparative irnpotence, by 
Off the eaft end of Martinique of late entertained by many, of throwing their weight into the 
we faw fix fail of the line; we an amicably termination of our aggregate of the enemies ef G. 
cleared for aftion, and formed prefentnegotiationwiththeUni- Britain; but a few fhort months 
the line of battle, but, on ex- ted States. It is certain, that of war would convince thefe "lo- 
changing fignals we found in- no article whatever of fupply liticionsofthefollyof rneafunng 
(tead of^enemies ; it was Sir could be obtained by our ad- their puny ftrength with the co- 
Alexander Cochrane, with his miral from the inholpitable and lofTal power of the Britilh em- 
fquadron, who was waiting to hoftile Americans; and it follows pire. A^^ do not ourfelves wi(h 
give that enemy a reception of courfe, that the reparation of- tobeunderftood,asftating po- 
whichwewerem chafe of, con- f^red byourgovernment for the fitively that a war with theUni- 
ceivingthathewould take refuge ^^p^i^ of the Chefepeake frigate ted States is become inevitable; 
in that port Finding that his ^^j m^j^ ;„ vain- although that the door foramicableadjiiftment 
fhemTn'thl'feas we3edaU dru'^Xnc" alone fince^fo am- ftill remains open, and while it 
heWrndwa^ Iffands^andan ply atoned for, was affigned by continues io.hopesofadjuftment 
cKonthe ,6 rofi^ebruary the Prefident's proclamation as may not irrationally be indulged. 
fnBaffa?erre Roads St KUts*^ the motive for prohibiting aU in- But m whatever manner the ne- 
where we remamed only^.^^^ betw^een the fnhabi- eotiation may termmate we 

hours, juft long enough to take tants and fuch Britifti fhips of (hall have the confolation to re- 
in water, but no provifions, nor war as might arrive in the Ame- ( *'« *'° ""£'•) 

Facsimile in Reduced Form of the Front Page of the 
" Missouri Gazette " for July 26, 1808, Vol. I, No. 3. 

No copies of the two previous issues have been preserved. 

93 



94 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

few years other papers were started in St. Louis, the most 
important of which was the Enquirer, which became a 
bitter rival of the Gazette. Probably the most important 
of the early newspapers outside of St. Louis was the 
Missouri Intelligencer, founded in Franklin in 1817. It 
too has had a continued existence under different names 
and in different places, and now survives as the Herald- 
Statesman at Columbia. By 1820 newspapers were also 
established at Jackson, Cape Girardeau, and Ste. Gene- 
vieve. 

Most of the news contained in these newspapers was 
from the Eastern states and foreign countries and not 
from the locality in which they were published ; and 
most of the news, whether from the outside or from the 
State, was political in character. Since communication 
was slow in those days, the news from the Eastern states 
was from a week to a month old, and that from foreign 
lands was, of course, much older. It is very unfortunate 
for historical purposes that so little that pertained to the 
life of the State aside from politics found its way into the 
current newspapers of early days. 
5. Postal With the purchase of Louisiana came a demand on the 

Facilities ^^^^ q£ ^j^g people living in the territory for better postal 
facilities. During the Spanish period "no one dreamed 
of demanding the establishment of post routes and post 
offices" ; but after the purchase post offices were at once 
estabhshed in St. Charles, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, 
Cape Girardeau, and New Madrid. Soon the demand 
came for more post offices and more mail routes, and for 
greater regularity in the delivery of the mail. The news- 
papers frequently had to go to press without their usual 
quota of eastern and foreign news because the mail had 
not arrived, and at such times, of course, the complaints 
were loud and long about the delays of the mails. People 
wanted to find out what was going on, and they let it be 
known when the service was not as prompt as they 
thought it ought to be. In 18 19 there were fifteen dif- 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 95 

ferent mail routes in Missouri Territory, on some of which 
there were deliveries once a week and on others only once 
in two weeks. 

Better mail service was made possible only through 6. Transpor- 
improvements in the transportation facilities, and it was ^^^'?,?. 

1 • 1 • -11 Facilities 

during this period that new roads were laid out and old 
ones improved, although many of the roads were, as yet, 
nothing more than mere bridle paths. Better and more 
numerous ferries facilitated the passage over streams, (a) Roads 
But the most important improvement along the line of 'I'^d Femes 
transportation that took place during this period was the 
steamboat. On August 2, 181 7, a steamboat named 
"Zebulon M. Pike" landed at St. Louis, to the great (b) steam- 
amazement of the inhabitants, who crowded the banks ^°^^^ 
to see the novel sight. ^ Nothing like it had ever 
been seen there before. Another steamboat, called the 
"Constitution," came in October, but it was not till 
18 19 that anyone would venture to ascend the Mis- 
souri in such a vessel. However, in that year the 
"Independence" made a trip from St. Louis to Franklin 
and Chariton and returned in twenty-one days, and thus 
established the fact that steamboat navigation was not an 
impossibility on the Missouri. ^ 

The importance and significance of this new mode of 
transportation were fully appreciated by the people of 
Missouri at that time. Travel by water had heretofore 
been very slow and far from comfortable, especially in 
going up the streams. It required weeks and sometimes 
months to make the trip from New Orleans to St. Louis. 
Commercially the streams were of chief value in aiding 

^ In 1811 the first steamboat in the west was launched at Pitts- 
burgh and made its way down the Ohio and the Mississippi to New 
Orleans and back again. 

2 The arrival of the "Independence" at Franklin was duly cele- 
brated by the citizens of that place. They gave the passengers and 
officers of the boat a public dinner and afterwards held a public 
meeting at which numerous toasts were offered and speeches made. 



96 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



7. Industrial 
Improve- 
ments 



8. Taverns 



the people in getting their products to the markets that 
were lower down the Mississippi. Both flatboats and 
keel boats were used in going down a stream, but generally 
the owner of the flatboats sold them for lumber at New 
Orleans instead of trying to pull them back to St. Louis. 
It was possible to come up the stream in keel boats, but 
the difficulties were very great and the freight rates high. 
For that reason less was brought from the markets than 
was taken there. 

But all this was changed by the introduction of the 
steamboat, and though it took time to perfect the service, 
it was realized that travel and transportation of commod- 
ities would be easier, quicker, and cheaper than ever be- 
fore. In the further economic and industrial develop- 
ments of Missouri, the steamboat on the Missouri River 
played a very important part for a considerable period.^ 

The business and industrial world showed traces of the 
new spirit that was taking possession of the country. 
The Americans who were coming in were better farmers 
and stock-raisers than their French neighbors had been. 
They also brought better machinery and better methods 
for mining lead ; and very shortly they increased the 
output of the old mines and also opened up new ones. The 
local fur trade was declining on account of the rapid 
disappearance of the fur-bearing animals and the removal 
of the Indians, but the region of the Upper Missouri, 
which was made known by the Lewis and Clark expedi- 
tions of 1805-08, offered a tempting field for men of 
adventure and enterprise. The most active of these fur 
traders of Missouri during this period was Manuel Lisa, 
who in thirteen years made at least twelve different trips to 
the headwaters of the Missouri. 

The Missourians at this time were noted for their 
hospitality to strangers. Travelers going through the 

^ Flatboats were not at once discarded on the appearance of the 
steamboat ; they were still used for some time to carry grain and 
other bulky commodities down the streams. 



CONDITIONS DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 97 

country were almost universally welcomed at all hours 
during the day and night. But after 1803 they were no 
longer compelled to ask for entertainment in private 




Old Market House at Sr. Louis 

homes as they had been during the Spanish period. Tav- 
erns and inns began to be established very shortly after 
the purchase of Louisiana, and soon they might be found 
in practically every town. Tavern-keepers were retailers 
of liquor as well as hosts to traveling guests, and fre- 
quently their taverns were resorts for gamblers and other 
persons of disrepute. 

On the whole, while much that existed in the period 
which we have been surveying was rude and rough, there 
were indications on every hand that gave promise of the 
development of a strong and vigorous civilization. 

REFERENCES 

General — Carr, Missouri, pp. 82-98, 108-138. Houck, History of 
Missouri, vol. iii. pp. 55-97. 

Churches — Kirkpatrick, Timothy Flint, chs. v-viii. The story 
of a pioneer preacher in the Ohio and the Mississippi valleys, and 
also in New England and the South. The chapters referred to deal 
with conditions in and around St. Louis, St. Charles, and New Madrid 
from 1816 to 1822, and are based chiefly upon Flint's own work 
entitled Recollections. Missouri Baptist Centennial, igo6. Contains 
the addresses delivered at the celebration of the one hundredth 
anniversary of the beginning of the Baptist work in Missouri, held 
at Jackson, Missouri, in 1906. One of the addresses deals with the 
history of " Old Bethel Church," the first Baptist church in Missouri. 
Jenkins, Old Bethel Church. A pamphlet giving an account of the 
Baptists in Missouri in early days. Maple and Rider, Missouri 



98 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

Baptist Biography. A book containing brief biographical sketches 
of nearly sixty Baptists of prominence in Missouri. The sketches 
of John Clark and John Mason Peck are of special value on the 
early history of the Baptists in Missouri. Spencer, "Rev. Jesse 
Walker, the Apostle of the Wilderness," in the Missouri Historical 
Review for July, 1908, pp. 261-278. An account of the labors of a 
pioneer Methodist preacher in Missouri from 1807 to 1833. Wood- 
ward, Annals of Methodism in Missouri. Contains sketches of 
Methodist preachers and laymen in Missouri from 1806 to 1884. 
Ridgeway, "Howard County has two Centennial Celebrations," in 
Missouri Historical Review for October, 1916. An account of the 
centennial celebrations of the creation of Howard County, and of the 
creation of the Missouri Conference of the Methodist Church, which 
were held in the summer and fall of 1916 at Fayette. Souvay, 
Memorial Sketch of Bishop DuBourg and What His Coming Meant 
to St. Louis. A pamphlet issued by the Catholic Historical Society 
in 191 8 in commemoration of the centenary of the coming of Bishop 
DuBourg to St. Louis. 

Newspapers — Stephens, "Nathaniel Patten, Pioneer Editor," 
in the Missouri Historical Review, April, 1915, pp. 135-154. An 
account of the founder of the Missouri Intelligencer and the Boonslick 
Advertiser in 1819, the first newspaper west of St. Louis. 



CHAPTER VI 



THE STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 



[Historical Setting. — The Missouri Compromise.] 

I. Changes in the Territorial Government of 
Missouri, 1803-20 

Now that we have dealt with the colonial and the 
territorial periods in the history of Missouri, we turn 
to its struggle for admission into the Union. It is well 
known that the question as to whether Missouri should 
be allowed to come into the Union or not was the 
foremost issue of the day during the years from 18 19 
to 182 1. That the petition of Missouri for admission 
should have proved so momentous an issue in our na- 
tional history was due to the fact that it was wrapped 
up in the very grave question concerning the further 
territorial extension of slavery. Everywhere, in and 
out of Congress, men were profoundly stirred by the 
question that had been raised, and so violent did the 
agitation over the matter become that many feared at 
the time for the safety of the Union. Thanks, however, 
to the influence of certain leaders in Congress, the threat- 
ened crisis was averted, and for thirty years more the 
question of the territorial extension of slavery lay dormant. 

It is not our purpose, however, to go into the details of 
this controversy as it was waged in Congress or through- 
out the country at large. That has been done in most 
excellent fashion by many writers whose books are readily 
available. It is our intention, however, to deal with the 
matter from the point of view of the Missourians of that 

99 



Significance 
of the 
Missouri 
Question 



lOO 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Act of 

Congress, 

1803 



Act of 1804 



I. Creation 
of the 
District of 
Louisiana 



time, and to consider in some detail the founding of the 
state government of Missouri. Fortunately these phases 
of the subject have recently been developed in a most 
scholarly manner by Shoemaker in his great book en- 
titled Missouri's Struggle for Statehood, and what is 
offered in this chapter is largely drawn from that book. 

But before we set forth the history of Missouri's 
effort to gain admission into the Union, a few words 
should be said upon the changes that occurred in the 
territorial government of Missouri from 1803 to 1820. • 

We saw in a former chapter that very shortly after the 
ratification of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty Congress 
passed an act providing temporarily for the government 
of the newly acquired territory.^ By this act all civil 
and military authority in the territory was placed under 
the direction of the President, who thereupon appointed 
Amos Stoddard commandant of Upper Louisiana. 

This arrangement was superseded by another Act of 
Congress in 1804,- which provided that Louisiana should 
be divided into two distinct territories, all south of the 
33d parallel being designated as the Territory of Orleans 
and all north of that line as the District of Louisiana. 
The Territory of Orleans was given its own territorial 
government, but the District of Louisiana was for pur- 
poses of administration put under the government of 
the Territory of Indiana, which at that time embraced 
all of the Northwest Territory except the newly created 
State of Ohio. Accordingly all judicial, legislative, and 
executive authority over the District of Louisiana was 
vested in the governor and the three judges of the 
Indiana Territory.-^ 



1 The Treaty providing for the purchase of Louisiana was rati- 
fied on October 21, 1803. The Act of Congress providing for the 
temporary government of Louisiana was approved ten days later. 

2 Passed on March 26, to go into effect on October i, 1804. 

' The governor of Indiana at that time was General William 
Henry Harrison, who afterward became President. 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD lOI 

This Act of Congress which thus subordinated the 2. Protest 
District of Louisiana to the government of the Territory ^^J^'"^^ ^^'^ 
of Indiana was very unpopular in the District, and two 
days before it was to go into effect a petition was framed 
by representatives elected by the people of the five ad- 
ministrative divisions of the District (St. Charles, St. 
Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, and New Madrid) 
protesting against the Act and asking for a different 
sort of territorial government. In this petition objec- 
tions were made, first, to the annexation of the District 
of Louisiana to the Indiana Territory, which thereby 
put the administration of government into the hands 
of men who were non-residents of the District and who 
lived at a seat of government 165 miles distant, and to 
the use of the inferior word "district" instead of "terri- 
tory"; second, to the lack of any provision for self 
government ; third, to the failure to guarantee protec- 
tion for the institution of slavery west of the Mississippi 
River ; fourth, to the proposed removal of the Indians 
east of the Mississippi to the District of Louisiana ; 
fifth, to the declaration that all Spanish land grants that 
had been made since Spain retroceded Louisiana to 
France in 1800 were null and void. The petition con- 
cluded by asking that the District be given a distinct 
territorial government with officers who should be ap- 
pointed by the President and who should reside in the 
District and hold property therein ; that a legislative 
council be created consisting of the governor and two 
members elected by the people from each county in the 
District ; that the rights of slave owners be protected ; 
that the District should have a delegate to Congress ; 
and that all private engagements made according to 
Spanish law and all judgments rendered according to 
that law during the Spanish period should be observed. 

Congress responded to this petition by passing another Act of i8os 
Act on March 3, 1805, providing for a separate territorial 
organization of the first or lowest rank for Upper Louisi- 



I02 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. Creation 
of the 

Territory of 
Louisiana 



2. Territorial 
Institutions 



Act of 1812 



I. Creation 
of the 

Territory of 
Missouri 



2. Changes 
in the 
Territorial 
Institutions 



ana, and changing the name from District of Louisiana 
to that of Territory of Louisiana. All executive authority 
was vested in a governor appointed by the President 
for a term of three years, and all legislative power was 
given to the governor and three judges who were ap- 
pointed by the President for a term of four years. The 
judicial authority was conferred upon the three terri- 
torial judges and whatever inferior courts the territorial 
legislature might establish. Associated with the governor 
was a secretary appointed by the President for four 
years, whose ordinary duties were clerical, but who 
became governor when that office was vacant. Not- 
withstanding the fact that there was no provision for a 
delegate to Congress or for elected officers of any sort in 
the territory, as had been asked for by the petition, the 
arrangement just outlined proved very satisfactory to 
the people of the territory. 

No change was made in this arrangement for the 
Territory of Louisiana until 181 2. By that time the 
population of the territory had become double what it 
was at the time of the purchase of Louisiana, and the 
citizens of the territory began to feel they were entitled 
to a higher form of territorial government. Between 
18 10 and 18 1 2 they submitted at least fifteen petitions 
to Congress on the matter.' 

It so happened that during April, 1812, the Territory 
of Orleans was admitted into the Union as the State of 
Louisiana, and that seemed to furnish Congress an oc- 
casion for dealing at once with the government of the 
Territory of Louisiana. An Act was therefore passed 
on June 4, 181 2, which changed the name of the territory 
from that of Louisiana to Missouri, and raised it to the 
second rank of territories. The executive authority was 
still vested in a governor appointed by the President 
for a tenn of three years and with powers much as before. 

• One of these asked, however, that no change be made in the 
territorial government. 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 1 03 

No change was made with regaixl to the secretary. But 
a very hnportant change was made in the legislature. 
Instead of a legislative council composed of the gov- 
ernor and the judges, there was now a legislature of 
two houses, the legislative council and the house of 
representatives. The legislative council was to be 
composed of nine members appointed for five years by 
the President from a list of eighteen drawn up by the 
territorial house of representatives. The latter body 
was to be made up of members elected for two years by 
the people, one for every 500 free white male inhabitants 
until the number of representatives should reach twenty- 
five. All free male white citizens who had resided twelve 
months in the territory and who had paid a territorial 
or a county tax were entitled to vote for representatives. 
The legislature was to meet annually and was given 
extensive powers. The judiciary included a superior 
court, composed of three judges appointed as before, 
and inferior courts and justices of the peace. The citizens 
of the territory were given the right to send a delegate to 
Congress, who of course would have no right to vote in 
that body. 

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the most im- 
portant changes that had been made in the government 
of the territory consisted in making one branch of the 
legislature elective and in authorizing a Congressional 
delegate. 

The last governmental change prior to the First Missouri Act of 1816 
Compromise was in April, 18 16, when the Territory of 
Missouri was raised to the third and highest rank of 
territories. The legislative council was now made 
elective, with one member from each county, and for a 
term of two years instead of five. The legislature was 
to hold biennial instead of annual sessions. The judges 
of the superior court were to hold both superior and 
circuit courts, and in civil cases were to have chancery 
powers as well as common law jurisdiction. 



I04 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Boundary 
Changes 



Petitions for 
Statehood 



I. Popular 
Petitions 
of 1817 



Meanwhile, no change had been made in the territorial 
boundaries of Upper Louisiana. Up to 18 19 this terri- 
tory, by whatever name it was called, whether the District 
of Louisiana, the Territory of Louisiana, or the Territory 
of Missouri, included all of the original Louisiana Purchase 
north of the 33d parallel. In 18 19, however, that part 
of the Missouri Territory which lay between the parallels 
of 33° and 36°3o' was set apart as the Territory of Ar- 
kansas, thereby reducing the former by just that much.^ 

2. The First Missouri Compromise 

In less than two years after Congress had raised the 
Territory of Missouri to the third and highest rank of 
territories, definite agitation was started in favor of her 
admission into the Union as a state. Some time during 
the latter part of 18 17 a number of petitions addressed 
to Congress praying for this boon were circulated among 
the citizens of Missouri and were signed by them. These 
petitions were submitted to Congress during the early 
months of 18 18, the first one being introduced on Jan- 
uary 8, 18 18, the third anniversary of the battle of New 
Orleans.^ Early in April a bill authorizing the people of 
Missouri to form a constitution and a state government 
was introduced, but it got no farther than the Committee 
of the Whole, where it lodged for the rest of the session. 

' For an account of the changes in county organization that had 
been going on between 1805 and 1820 and for the maps that illus- 
trate those changes, see Chapter V. 

^ It has been claimed by some that this date was deliberately 
selected by those in charge of the matter as being the appropriate 
time for the submission of the first petition. Missourians, it is 
said, claimed that they were entitled to some special credit for the 
victory at New Orleans. The bullets and buckshot that Jackson 
used that day had been made at Maclot's shot tower at Hercu- 
laneum, and part of the cotton bales which protected the Ameri- 
cans as they swept the ranks of the British had been furnished 
by another Missourian, John Mullanphy, who was in New Orleans 
at the time, buying up cotton in anticipation of the rise in prices 
that would come at the close of the war. 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 105 

In November, 1818, the territorial legislature of 2. Legisia- 
Missouri drafted a memorial petitioning Congress for t'^'^^.^j^- 
the admission of Missouri as a state. This is the only 18 18 
petition for statehood that ever emanated from the 
legislature, and so far as we know no others were sub- 
mitted from private citizens during the year 18 18. About 
a month after the presentation of this legislative memorial 
to Congress, a bill was introduced granting their request, 
but it failed of passage because the Senate would not 
concur in accepting the famous Tallmadge amendment 
passed by the House. This amendment provided that 
no more slaves should be brought into Missouri and 
that all slave children therein were to be free when they 
should become twenty-five years of age. 

During the summer and fall of 1 8 1 9 , following the failure 3- P.opuiar 
of the Missouri bill in Congress, several private petitions ^|^^'*^'°"^ °^ 
and resolutions were drawn up by the citizens of Missouri 
insisting that it should be admitted into the Union. 

On examining these different petitions to Congress by 4. Differ- 
Missourians, it will be found that all of them agree on ei^ces m the 

1 -1 1 • • r • • r Petitions 

the evils and inconveniences of the temtonal system of Regarding 
government and on the justice of granting to the people Boundaries 
of Missouri the right to form a state government. But 
there are certain interesting differences between the vari- 
ous petitions regarding the boundaries of the proposed 
State. The ones that were drawn up in 18 17 asked 
that the boundaries should be the Mississippi on the east, 
the 36° 30' line on the south, the Osage boundary line 
on the west,i and the 40th parallel on the north. If 
these boundaries had been granted, the State would 
have been minus the httle panhandle district which it 
now has at the southeastern comer, and also a strip of 
territory 24 miles wide along the entire western border. 
The legislative memorial of 18 18 asked for boundaries 
which, if they had been granted, would have given the 

' The Osage boundary line ran through Ft. Osage on the Missouri 
River twenty-four miles east of the mouth of the Kansas River. 



io6 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



State a much greater extent than it was actually given. 
They would have included : all the territory within the 
present State except Atchison County and a part of 
Holt County in the northwestern corner ; about 5000 
square miles out of the northeastern corner of the present 




Boundaries of Missouri as Suggested in the Petition to 
Congress for Statehood in 181 7 

From Houck's Eislory of Missouri. 

state of Arkansas ; a strip of territory about 60 miles 
wide and 200 miles long, on the eastern border of what 
is now Kansas ; and a strij^ of territory on the southern 
border of the present state of Iowa amounting to three 
tiers of counties. 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 107 



With one exception the petitions and resolutions of 
18 19 favored the boundaries as petitioned for in the 
legislative memorial of 18 18. That one exception asked 




Boundaries of Missouri as Suggested in the Legislative 
Memorial to Congress for Statehood in 1818 

From Houck's History of Missouri. 

for boundaries as follows : the Missouri River from its 
mouth to the mouth of the Kansas River, thence west to 
the western boundary of the United States ; thence south 
along the western boundary to the 36 th parallel ; thence 



io8 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



First Mis- 
souri Com- 
promise 



I. The 

Thomas 
Amendment 



2. Provisions 
Regarding a 
Constitu- 
tional 
Convention 



east to the White River and down that river to the mouth 
of the Big Black River ; thence east to the Mississippi ; 
thence up the latter river to the mouth of the Missouri. 
Boundaries such as these would have made Missouri a 
state with an extent from east to west far greater than 
from north to south, and would have excluded all territory 
north of the Missouri River. It should be stated that 
this Missouri River boundary petition emanated from 
what is now southeast Missouri and northwest Arkansas, 
and it is said that it had been prompted by jealousy of 
the rapidly developing Boone's Lick region. It was 
signed by only five or six hundred people, and was most 
bitterly opposed in all other parts of the territory. 

The third Missouri bill was introduced very shortly 
after Congress convened in December, 1819. At this 
session Maine sought for admission into the Union and the 
Senate joined the Maine bill as passed by the House with 
the Missouri bill which it was considering. To the Mis- 
souri bill the Senate had also added the important 
Thomas amendment which provided that slavery should 
forever be prohibited in all the territory ceded by France 
to the United States north of 36° 30', except Missouri. 
The House meanwhile had been trying to pass the Mis- 
souri bill with restrictions upon slavery in the proposed 
new state, and on receiving from the Senate the Maine- 
Missouri bill with the Thomas amendment, rejected it 
at once. The matter was finally sent to a conference 
committee, and as a result both houses agreed to a separa- 
tion of the Maine and the Missouri bills, and to the 
passage of the Missouri bill with the Thomas amendment. 
This bill was approved on March 6, 1820. 

According to the provisions of this Enabling Act, the 
inhabitants of the Missouri Territory were authorized 
to form a constitution and a state government. A con- 
stitutional convention was to be elected by all the free 
white male citizens over 21 years old, who had resided 
in the territory three months, and was commissioned to 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 109 

draft a constitution for the new State. A copy of this 
constitution when framed was to be sent to Congress, 
and on the completion of the state government Missouri 
was to be admitted into the Union on an equal footing 
with the other states. 




Boundaries of Missouri as Adopted by Congress in 1820 
From Houck's History of Missouri. 

The boundaries of the State as described in the En- 
abUng Act were as follows : from the Mississippi River 
where the 36th parallel crosses it, thence west along that 
parallel to the St. Francois River, thence north along 
that river to the parallel of 36°3o', and thence along that 
parallel west to a line running due north and south through 



3. Bounda- 
ries 



no 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



the mouth of the Kansas River ; thence due north along 
that line to the parallel intersecting the rapids of the 
Des Moines River ; thence along that parallel to the 
Des Moines River and down that river to the Mississippi 




Boundaries cf Missouri after the Addition of the 
Platte Purchase in 1837 

The six counties in the northwestern part of the State constitute what is 
known as the Platte I'urchase. From Houck's History of Missouri. 

River ; and thence down the Mississippi to the place of 
beginning. 

These boundaries were more nearly like those set 
forth in the petitions of 1 8 1 7 than those in the legislative 
memorial of 1818. A little more territory, however, 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 



III 




was included in the Enabling Act than had been asked 
for in the petitions of 1817, such as the panhandle district 
between the Mississippi and the St. Frangois rivers in 
the southeastern part of the State, and also a strip along 
the western border about 24 
miles wide.^ 

Now that we have followed 
in broad outline the con- 
troversy as waged in Con- 
gress over the question of 
Missouri's admission into 
the Union, let us see what 
the Missourians had mean- 
while been saying and doing 
with regard to this matter. 

They first began to 
express themselves on the 
subject when Congress, ow- 
ing to the disagreement 
over the Tallmadge amend- 
ment, failed to pass the Mis- 
souri bill in 18 1 9, and from 
the mass of historical material that has come down to 
us from that time we may well suppose that the subject 
was one upon which every Missourian spoke freely. 
Of those expressions of opinion that were made more 
or less publicly, the most important were resolutions 
adopted at various public meetings, toasts proposed 

' According to tradition the little panhandle district in south- 
eastern Missouri was included within the boundaries of the State be- 
cause of the activity of Mr. J. Hardeman Walker, who lived on a 
plantation near Little Prairie, now Caruthersville. If the southern 
boundary line of the State had been fixed at 36°3o' along its entire 
course, that section of the country in which he was interested would 
have been left out. of the new State. He is credited with handling 
the matter in some way so that the territory lying between the 
Mississippi and the St. Frangois rivers should be included as far 
south as the 36th parallel. 



J. Hardeman Walker 

To him was due the inclusion of 
the " Panhandle District " in south- 
eastern Missouri within the bound- 
aries of the State. From Houck's 
History of Missouri. 



Public 
Opinion in 
Missouri 
over the 
Struggle in 
Congress 



I. Methods 
Employed 
in Expressing 
Opinions 



112 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Opposi- 
tion to Con- 
gressional 
Restrictions 
Regarding 
Slavery 



and drunk at public celebrations and dinners, present- 
ments of grand juries, newspaper editorials, and other 
articles contributed by private individuals. In seven 
different counties (Montgomery, St. Louis, Howard, 
Washington, Ste. Genevieve, New Madrid, and Cape 
Girardeau) public meetings were held during the spring 
and summer of 1819 and resolutions were adopted by 
them. Mention should also be made of the resolutions 
of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Association at its meeting 
held in Howard County in September of that year. 
Accounts of at least ten different public dinners and 
celebrations in different parts of the State have also 
come down to us. On these occasions toasts were pro- 
posed and drunk. The grand juries of seven different 
circuit courts (St. Louis, St. Charles, Howard, Jefferson, 
Lincoln, Montgomery, and Washington counties) and the 
grand jury of the superior court submitted in formal 
resolutions what they considered the views of their com- 
munities. Numerous newspaper editorials of importance 
appeared in the five newspapers of the territory {Missouri 
Intelligencer, St. Lotiis Gazette, St. Louis Enquirer, St. 
Charles Missourian, and Jackson Herald, later known as 
the Independent Patriot), as well as hundreds of articks 
contributed by various writers. 

AFrom a study of these different expressions it appears 
that, on the great issue that was before the nation, the 
people of Missouri were united in opposing any attempt 
on the part of Congress to put any restrictions upon 
Missouri as the price of her admission into the Union. 
Only one minor public gathering and only six contributed 
newspaper articles favored Congressional restrictions. 
In practically every resolution and editorial or con- 
tributed article that denied the right of Congress to 
impose any restrictions upon Missouri, the argument 
was based on the United States Constitution and on 
the treaty of cession. The gist of this argument was, 
first, that the Constitution gave Congress the power to 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 113 

admit a state into the Union, but did not give that body 
the power to lay any restriction upon a state save that 
its government should be republican in character, and 
that inasmuch as slavery was not an anti-republican in- 
stitution, it did not come under constitutional restriction ; 
and second, that since in the Louisiana Purchase Treaty 
the United States had guaranteed to protect the property 
of the citizens of the newly acquired territory. Congress 
could not place any restrictions on slavery in Missouri 
because slaves had been held as property in Louisiana 
prior to and after 1803.^ Other arguments were used 
against Congressional restrictions, but these just men- 
tioned were the more important. However, beneath 
all these arguments it may plainly be seen that the 
economic interests of the people in the institution of 
slavery had much, if not most, to do with their opposi- 
tion to Congressional restrictions. 

Agitation in Missouri against Congressional restriction 3- Recep- 
was kept up until the news was brought that a compromise ^g^^^f j^e 
had been agreed upon in Congress whereby the State Compromise 
would be allowed to enter the Union without any limita- 
tions upon her regarding slavery. Some of the bitterest 
articles in the St. Lotiis Enquirer appeared after the 
Missouri bill had been passed but before the news to 
that effect had arrived. When it became known in the 
State that Missouri was to be admitted without restric- 
tions, anger immediately gave way to exultation. 

1 The Montgomery County resolutions are typical as regards 
the argument used on these points. It was declared in these resolu- 
tions that the attempted restriction on Missouri's admission was a 
"daring stretch of power, an usurpation of our most sacred rights, 
unprecedented, unconstitutional, and in open violation of the third 
article of the Treaty of Cession entered into with France" ; that the 
people "would never cease to resist with firmness all such encroach- 
ments upon their right by every possible constitutional means"; 
that they "regretted the necessity causing this protest; but duty 
impelled them to protect their constitution against foreign or 
domestic foes." 



114 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 




STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD I15 

The bearer of the glad tidings was Thomas Hempstead, 
who reached Jackson, Missouri, on March 21, 1820, on 
his way to St. Louis. When he reached the latter place 
he was received with great rejoicing. An illumination 
was held in honor of the passage of the bill, and several 
transparencies were displayed, one of which showed the 
American eagle surmounting the Irish harp ; another 
"represented a slave in great spirits over the permission 
granted by Congress to bring slaves into so fine a country 
as Missouri." In others the names of Northern Con- 
gressmen who had aided in the passage of the bill were 
exhibited, among which was the name of Senator Lenman 
of Connecticut, who had been burned in effigy in Hart- 
ford for his attitude toward the Missouri question. By 
the first of April the news reached the Boone's Lick region 
and- a big dinner was given in Franklin to celebrate the 
"late triumph over Eastern policy and Eastern artifice." 
Missourians spoke of the Southern Congressmen as "a 
band of Spartans standing united in the pass of Ther- 
mopylae, defending the people of Missouri, the treaty of 
Cession, and the Constitution of the Republic"; and 
many persons suggested that an "imperishable monu- 
ment of everlasting fame" should be erected to the 
honor of the Northern Congressmen who had voted with 
the Southerners. 

3. The Organization of the State Government 

Now that the struggle in Congress was over, the ques- Election of 
tion immediately arose before the people of Missouri as Delegates to 

, -■ ; 1 -, , 1 • 1 the Consti- 

to who should be the delegates to the convention that tutionai 
should draft the constitution for the new State. This Convention 
question was almost altogether political rather than 
personal. The issue was whether the State should put 
any restriction upon slavery or not. While the question 
of Missouri's admission into the Union was pending in 
Congress, the people of the territory were, as we have 
already seen, practically united against Congress placing 



ii6 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. State Re- 
striction 
upon Slavery 
— the Issue 



2. NoRe- 

strictionists 

Elected 



Personnel 
of the 
Convention 



any restrictions on the State with regard to slavery. 
But in taking this attitude they were not precluded from 
putting restrictions upon slavery in their own constitu- 
tion. They could very consistently deny the right of 
Congress to restrict slavery in the State, and yet place 
whatever limitations they chose upon it themselves. 
It would seem from the admissions made regarding 
slavery while the Missouri question was pending in 
Congress that the people of the State would be somewhat 
divided on the matter of State restriction. It was fre- 
quently admitted that slavery was a curse and an evil, 
and the hope was often expressed that national emanci- 
pation would eventually be brought about. 

But as far as our records go, there were only five out 
of the fifteen counties in which there was any contest 
for seats in the convention between those who favored 
State restriction and those who opposed it. In none 
of these counties was there elected a single delegate who 
favored the State placing any restriction upon slavery. 
Out of the 56,000 white population in Missouri at that 
time, it has been estimated that there were from 7000 
to 11,000 voters, and of this number not more than 
1000 voted in favor of State restrictionist delegates.^ 
This makes it quite conclusive that the Missourians at 
that time were largely in favor of maintaining the in- 
stitution of slavery. There were then over 10,000 slaves 
in the territory and they represented several millions of 
dollars in value. 

It is a matter of interest to know not only on what 
ticket or platfomi these delegates were elected in their 
respective counties, but also something of their personal 
antecedents and their careers prior to their election. 
These facts throw some rather interesting sidelights 



1 In the five counties where there were contests, there were 825 
State restrictionist votes cast. St. Louis County cast about 400 
of these. The only contests that caused any great interest were in 
St. Louis and Jefferson counties. 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD I17 

upon the work they performed in the convention. It 
is not possible, however, to give here even a brief sketch 
of each of the forty-one members of the convention; 




John Rice Jones 

Delegate to the first constitutional 
convention of Missouri. Reputed 
to be the most brilliant member of 
the convention. From Houck's 
History of Missouri. 




Edward Bates 

.Another prominent delegate to 
the first constitutional convention 
of Missouri. From Houck's History 
oj Missouri. 



2. Place of 
Birth 



all that can be done here is to note a few things about 
these men in their collective capacity. 

As regards nationality, the forty-one members repre- i. Nationai- 
sented seven different lines of descent : Enghsh, 26 ; ^^l^f ^^™' 
Welsh, 2 ; Scotch, 2 ; Irish, 4 ; Scotch-Irish, 2 ; French, 
2 ; German, i. 

As regards place of birth, 33 were bom in slave-holding 
states or territories (Virginia, 13 ; Kentucky, 8 ; Mary- 
land, 4 ; Tennessee, 2 ; North Carolina, 2 ; Spanish 
Upper Louisiana, 2 ; South Carolina, i) ; 6 in free states 
or territories (Pennsylvania, 3 ; Indiana Territory, i ; 
New York, i ; Vermont, i) ; and 2 in foreign countries 
(Wales, I ; Ireland, i). 

As regards the place where the delegates were reared 3. Place of 
before coming to Missouri, 17 came from Maryland, ^^^""s 
Virginia, and Kentucky ; 8 from Tennessee and North 



IIJ 



HISTORY OF xMISSOURI 



4. Occupa- 
tion 



Carolina ; 5 from Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois ; 3 from 
Pennsylvania and Spanish Upper Louisiana. 

As regards occupation, the delegates represented six 
different occupations : law, 9; business, 13; agriculture, 
13 ; medicine, 2 ; surveying, 2 ; education, 2. Thirty 
of these forty-one might be classed as politicians. All 
but four were men of means, and fourteen were among 
the wealthiest in the territory. Not^vithstanding the 
small number of lawyers in the convention, the real 




Mansion House, St. Louis 
Where the first constitutional convention of Missouri held its sessions. 



Work of the 
Convention 



leadership rested with them and with the business men. 
The most prominent members were David Barton, John 
Rice Jones, Duff Green, Edward Bates, and Henry Dodge, 
with John Cook, Jonathan S. Findlay, Alexander McNair, 
and John Scott as close seconds. All of the forty-one men 
were of more than average ability. 

The convention met in the Mansion House Hotel in 
St. Louis on June 12, 1820,^ and organized ^vith David 
Barton, the most popular man in the convention, as 
chairman. In a little more than a month the convention 

^ The convention held its meetings in the dining room of this 
building. After going under different names, the building was 
torn down between 1880 and 1888. It stood on the northeast 
corner of the present Third and E streets. 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 119 



framed and adopted a constitution which went into effect i. Adoption 
at once without being submitted to the people for their rat- of.the Con- 

'c • A 1 • 1 1 r 1 • stitution 

iiication. As this method of procedure m adopting or without 
amending constitutions would not be tolerated to-dav , a mo- Submitting 

, . 1 . , , . , -^ It to the 

ment s consideration may properly be given to the reasons People 
why it was followed in Missouri in 1820. From one point 
of view it would seem as though the refusal of Missouri's 
convention to submit the new constitution to the people 
was in accord with the 
generally accepted cus- 
tom of the times in 
such matters. Of the 
twenty-four state con- 
stitutions then in force, 
only six had been sub- 
mitted ; and of the 
forty-two constitu- 
tional conventions, 
state and national, 
that had been held 
between 1775 and 1820 
for the purpose of fram- 
ing or amending con- 
stitutions, only fifteen 
had submitted to the 
people the results of 
their labors. But from 

another point of view it appears that the principle of 
submitting to the people the drafts of constitutions 
and constitutional amendments was becoming estab- 
lished by 1820, and that the Missouri convention was 
going against that tendency in refusing to submit the 
constitution it had drafted. For, if the constitutional 
conventions that were held in 1775 and 1776 be eliminated 
from the hst of those that were held between 1775 and 
1820, the number of conventions that submitted to the 
people the constitutions which they had drafted remains 




i'^f 



David Barton 



President of the first constitutional con- 
vention of Missouri and one of the first two 
United States Senators from Missouri. 



120 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Adoption 
of an Ordi- 
nance Ac- 
cepting the 
Five Propo- 
sitions of 
Congress 



at fifteen, but the number of those that did not do so is 
reduced to seventeen. Moreover, of all the constitutions 
and constitutional revisions made by six different states 
between 1820 and 1830 inclusive, Missouri's is the only 
one that was not submitted to the people. 

If from these considerations it seems proper to con- 
clude that the principle of submitting constitutions to the 
people for their approval or rejection was becoming es- 
tablished in our political life by 1820, we are forced to 
find the reasons why the Missouri convention did not fol- 
low that principle. They have been summarized by 
Shoemaker in his MissourVs Struggle for Statehood as 
follows : 

"There was no demand on the part of the people for 
such a referendum or adoption ; the people of Missouri 
Territory wanted an immediate state government without 
further delay ; the delegates possessed the confidence of 
their constituents ; the constitution was generally accepta- 
ble ; submitting conventions were then the exception in 
the South ; and finally, the convention itself was un- 
doubtedly opposed to such a course." 

The convention was called upon not only to frame a 
constitution, but also to consider the five propositions that 
had been made by Congress to the people of Missouri in 
the Enabling Act of 1820. According to these propositions 
Congress agreed to make the following grants to the 
people of Missouri: (i) the sixteenth section in every 
township for school purposes ; (2) all salt springs in the 
State, not to exceed twelve in number, and six sections of 
land lying around each of these springs ; (3) five per cent 
of the proceeds from the sale of all public lands in Missouri 
for the building of canals and public roads in the State 
and leading to it ; (4) four sections of land for a State 
capital ; (5) thirty-six sections of land for a seminary of 
learning. All these grants were conditional, however, 
upon the passage of an ordinance by the Missouri con- 
stitutional convention providing: (i) that all public 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 1 21 

land sold in Missouri after January i, 182 1, should be 
exempt from all state, county, and township taxes for five 
years ; (2) that all bounty lands granted in Missouri for 
military service during the War of 18 12 should be exempt 
for three years from the date of the patents, providing 
these lands were then held by the patentees or their 
heirs. 

After giving these propositions due consideration, an 
ordinance was passed by the convention accepting 
them, and, like the constitution, it was made effective 
without being submitted to the people.^ This ordinance 
is still in force. The constitution that was put into op- 
eration by the convention in 1820 was superseded by 
another in 1865 and that in turn by the present one in 
1875 ; but the ordinance passed by this constitutional 
convention on July 19, 1820, was irrevocable except by 
the consent of Congress, and it has remained unchanged 
to this day. It should be noted that the ordinance was 
not requisite for the admission of Missouri into the Union, 
but it was necessary if Missouri was to receive any national 
land grants and money aid for internal improvements, 
education, and a seat of government. 

The Missouri constitution of 1820 divides itself readily Constitution 
into five parts: (i) a preamble; (2) a definition of ° 
boundaries; (3) a frame of government, its powers and 
limitations ; (4) a declaration of rights ; (5) a schedule. 

The preamble is as follows ; 

"We, the people of Missouri inhabiting the limits here- i. Preamble 
inafter designated, by our representatives in convention 
assembled at St. Louis on Monda}^, the twelfth day of 
June, 1820, do mutually agree to form and establish a 
free and independent republic by the name of the State 
of Missouri, and for the government thereof do ordain 
and establish this constitution." 

' There is no doubt but that if the convention had submitted 
the constitution and the ordinance to the people, both would have 
been almost unanimously adopted. 



122 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Bounda- 
ries 



3. Frame of 
Government 



(a) Legisla- 
tive Depart- 
ment 



This preamble is unique in that no other constitution 
had one that was just Hke it, though several bore re- 
semblances. The phrase "a free and independent re- 
public" usually attracts undue attention, for while the 
word "republic" appears in no other constitution, the 
phrase "a free and independent state" had been 
employed in at least six different constitutions.^ 
No special significance is therefore to be attached 
to the use of the word "republic" in the Missouri 
constitution. 

The boundaries were described in language that is 
identical with that used in the Enabling Act, and they 
need not be reviewed again. 

The powers of government were divided into three 
distinct departments, the legislative, the executive, and 
the judicial. 

The legislative power was vested in a general assembly 
which was composed of two bodies, a senate and a house 
of representatives.^ The membership of the house of 
representatives was to consist of representatives elected 
for two years from the counties in proportion to their 
population, provided that each county should have at 
least one representative and that the total number of 
representatives should not exceed 100. The senate was 
to be composed of senators elected for four years from 
senatorial districts, provided there should be not less than 
14 senators nor more than 33. No officer of the United 
States, no priest or clergyman was eligible for member- 
ship in the general assembly. The electors were all free 
white male citizens of the United States over twenty-one 
years of age, who had resided in the State one year, and 
in the county in which they voted, three months. Gen- 
eral elections were to be held every two years, on the first 

' These six states were Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, 
Indiana, and IlHnois. 

2 At that time Vermont was the only state that had a one- 
house legislature. 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 123 

Monday in August, and sessions of the legislature were 
to be held biennally.^ 

The executive power was vested in a governor, a (b) Execu- 
lieutenant governor, an adjutant general, an auditor, a ^^^^ f ep^rt- 
secretary of state, and a treasurer. The governor was 
to be elected for a term of four years and was ineligible 
for reelection for the next four years. His compensation 
was to be fixed by the legislature, provided it should 
be not less than $2000 a year. The lieutenant governor 
also was to be elected in the same manner as the governor 
and to act during his term of office as president of the 
senate. The adjutant general was to be appointed by 
the governor and might be removed by him at any time. 
The auditor, the attorney general, and the secretary of 
state were to be appointed by the governor and the 
senate for a term of four years. The treasurer was to 
be appointed by the two houses of the legislature for a 
term of two years. 

The judicial power was vested in a supreme court, a (<-) judicial 
chancellor, circuit courts, and such inferior courts as the Department 
legislature might create, and justices of the peace. The 
three judges of the supreme court and of the circuit 
courts and the chancellor were to be appointed by the gov- 
ernor and the senate, and were to hold office during good 
behavior. Their salaries were to be not less than $2000 
each. The supreme court was to have appellate juris- 
diction throughout the State and to have general super- 
vision over all inferior courts of law. The circuit courts 
were to have jurisdiction over criminal cases and civil 
cases in equity that might arise in their circuits. The 
court of chancery 2 was to have original and appellate 

1 At that time only two states, Illinois and Tennessee, held 
biennial sessions of their legislatures. All the others held annual 
sessions. 

2 There was a great deal of opposition to the chancellor and the 
court of chancery from the beginning, and they were abolished 
by a constitutional amendment in 1822. 



124 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

jurisdiction in all cases of equity. Inferior tribunals were 
to be established in each county for the transaction of 
all county business and probate matters. 
(d) Local Provisions were made for the election of a sheriff and 

"'^^ a coroner by the people of each county, and for the ap- 

pointment of as many justices of the peace in each county 
as might be thought necessary for the public good. 
4. Declara- The declaration of rights, which contained provisions 
Rights and guaranteeing personal liberties, and the schedule, which 
Schedule provided for the transition from the territorial status to 
that of statehood, need no special elaboration here. 

Two matters yet remain for our consideration. First, 
the men who were chiefly responsible for shaping the 
constitution which has just been outlined ; and second, 
the sources from which they drew their material. 
Framers of According to tradition, the honor of framing the con- 
Co^nstitution stitution belongs primarily to David Barton, who was the 
chairman of the convention and who shortly afterward 
was elected as Missouri's first United States Senator. 
It is true that he wielded a inost important influence in 
the convention by virtue of his official position as chair- 
man and also of his leadership in the political machine. 
As chairman he appointed all committees of the con- 
vention, and as head of the political machine he pulled 
many of the wires. As a matter of fact, however, the 
principal authors of the constitution, aside from David 
Barton, were Edward Bates, John D. Cook, John Rice 
Jones, Jonathan S. Findlay, and John Scott. "They 
held first place as introducers of measures, as voters in 
the convention, and as members of the three most im- 
portant committees." In order that this statement con- 
cerning these men may be better understood, something 
should be said about the manner in which the convention 
did its work. 

After the convention had effected its organization, a 
resolution was introduced by Bates providing for the 
appointment of a single committee to draft a constitution. 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 125 

This was voted down, however, and a resolution provid- 
ing for four committees of three members each, to draft 
different parts of the constitution, was proposed and 
carried. One of these committees, composed of Jones, 
Emmons, and Clark, was to draft the legislative depart- 
ment ; another, composed of Rector, John Cook, and 
Evans, the executive department ; another, composed 
of Thomas, Nathaniel Cook, and Bates, the judiciary ; 
and another, composed of Ramsay, Hammond, and 
Green, the bill of rights. 

In two days after these committees had been appointed 
they reported their drafts, and these, without being read, 
printed, or discussed in the convention, were, by a vote 
of the convention, turned over to a select committee 
composed of four men, one from each of the four com- 
mittees that had drafted different parts of the constitution. 
The purpose of this was to put the reports of these four 
committees into one consistent whole. Jones, Evans, 
John Cook, and Ramsay were appointed on this com- 
mittee. On the day following their appointment they 
submitted to the convention the draft of the constitution 
which they had made from the reports of the four original 
committees. 

Shortly afterward another committee of three, which 
might be called the committee on style, was appointed 
to revise and rearrange the sections of the constitution, 
as passed by the committee of the whole, without alter- 
ing in any way their substance. Bates, John Cook, and 
Findlay were appointed on this committee. There was 
still another committee, that of enrollment, which was 
to engross the different articles for the third reading and 
final passage. Findlay, Cook, and Bates were on this 
committee. 

In addition to these regular committees there were 
some special committees appointed to consider certain 
matters that came up during the course of the convention, 
such as banks, permanent seat of government, and the like. 



126 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

Of the regular committees the two most important 
were the select committee and the committee on style, 
and of the special committees the most important was the 
one on banks. On looking over the membership of these 
committees, we find that Jones and Cook were on the se- 
lect committee, Bates, Cook, and Findlay on the com- 
mittee on style, and Findlay on the committee on banks. 
And when we find further that the records of the conven- 
tion show that Jones, Cook, Bates, and Findlay were 
generally successful in getting their views on the different 
questions before the convention adopted, we may well 
conclude that the honor of being the principal authors of 
the constitution should be shared by them along with 
Barton, the chairman, and with Scott, the territorial dele- 
gate. 
Sources With regard to the sources from which the makers of 

°^ *^t, ,. our first constitution got their material, it seems that 
Constitution . ° . . 

practically none of it was original but that all of it was 
borrowed from other existing state constitutions. "In 
the passing of some parts it is apparent that one or two 
state constitutions were largely the patterns followed ; 
as regards other parts, it appears that they were selected 
from first one and then another state's organic law. 
Naturally the very character of the inhabitants of Missouri 
predisposed them to follow the Southern type of consti- 
tution, especially that of Kentucky and of Alabama, in 
preference to the Northern type ; but this apparently did 
not in the least hinder the convention from favoring and 
choosing sections from the constitutions of Maine, Dela- 
ware, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Indiana, and 
throughout the entire document is seen the great influence 
exerted by the constitution of Illinois. In fact it appears 
that, with the exception of Kentucky, the most newly 
framed constitutions, e.g. those of Alabama, Illinois, and 
Maine, were more influential than the others. Further, 
it appears that the framers of our constitution strove 
conscientiously to adopt those provisions, from whatever 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 127 

source they came, that in their view were the best fitted 
for guiding Missouri in her future development." 

Missouri's statehood, according to Shoemaker, dates Missouri, a 
from July 19, 1820, the day on which the convention ju^y*ip°'^ 
adopted the constitution, although, as we shall presently 1820 
see, she was not admitted into the Union until more 
than a year later. On the very day that the constitution 
was thus adopted by the convention, writs were issued 




Alexander McNair 

First governor of the State of 
Missouri. From Houck's History 
of Missouri. 



John Scott 

Territorial delegate from Mis- 
souri, 1816-20, and Congressman 
from Missouri, 1820-26. From 
Houck's History of Missouri. 



Election 



by Mr. Barton, president of the convention, and sent 
to the sheriffs of the different counties, directing them to 
arrange for the first general election, which was set for 
August 28. 

Alexander McNair was elected governor, defeating First state 
Clark, who at the time was territorial governor, by more 
than 4000 votes. ^ William Ashley was chosen lieutenant 
governor by a very close margin in a three-cornered race. 
John Scott, who had been territorial delegate to Congress 
ever since 18 16, was elected as Representative without 
1 The vote for McNair was 6,576; for Clark, 2,556, 



128 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



opposition. According to the schedule provided for in 
the constitution, 43 representatives and 14 senators were 
elected to the general assembly. In some of the coun- 
ties a great deal of interest was shown in these offices , 
there being 39 candidates for the general assembly in 
Howard County and 19 in St. Louis. Only 7 out of the 
41 members of the constitutional convention were sent 
to the general assembly. 

The first general assembly convened at the Missouri 
Hotel in St. Louis on September 18, 1820, and Governor 




Missouri Hotel, St. Louis 

In this building the first legislature of the State of Missouri convened on 
September i8, 1820. This hotel stood on the corner of what are now North 
Main and North streets. It was torn down in 1873. 



First 

General 

Assembly 



I. Election 
of Barton 
and Benton 
as United 
States 
Senators 



McNair and Lieutenant Governor Ashley were inaugu- 
rated the next day. Perhaps the most important business 
that came before that body at its first session was the 
election of the two United States Senators. This oc- 
curred on October 2, when David Barton and Thomas 
Hart Benton were chosen in joint session of the houses 
on the first ballot viva voce. There were six candidates in 
the field, Barton, Benton, John B. C. Lucas, Henry 
Elliott, John R. Jones, and Nathaniel Cook. According 
to traditional accounts that have long been in circulation 
and accepted as the truth, Barton was elected unanimously 
on the first ballot, but Benton was chosen only after 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 



129 



several days had been spent in balloting. The senate 
journal, however, disproves that story and shows very 
conclusively that only one ballot was taken and that 
Barton and Benton were elected at the same time.^ 

It must be admitted, however, that Benton's election 
was secured only by heroic methods and vigorous wire- 
pulling. It was very evi- 
dent in advance that Barton 
would have a safe majority. 
He was by far the most 
popular man in the State at 
that time. But it was seem- 
ingly certain that no one of 
the other candidates would 
be able to command even a 
bare majority. Barton seems 
to have been consulted by 
his supporters as to whom he 
would like to have as his 
colleague, and he expressed 
a preference for Benton. As 




Thomas Hart Benton 
At the age of 34, four years before 



there were 52 members of he was elected to the United states 
. Senate" for the first time. From 

the two houses m attendance Houck's History of Missouri. 

at the time the voting was 

done, 27 votes were necessary for an election. Only 26 
votes, however, could be counted upon as safe for Benton. 
It was therefore imperative to secure one more vote before 
the election occurred. The member upon whom pressure 
was brought to bear to support Benton was Marie Philip 
Leduc. After an all-night conference of men who had 
interested themselves in favor of Benton, Leduc was 
induced to promise to support Benton instead of Judge 
Lucas, who was Benton's strongest rival. It is said 
that Leduc had been won to the side of Benton through 
the argument that if Benton was elected he, Leduc, 

^ The vote was as follows : Barton, 34 ; Benton, 27 ; Lucas, 16 ; 
Elliott, 10; Jones, 9; Cook, 6. 



130 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



would stand a better chance of getting his Spanish land 
claims confirmed than if Lucas were elected. Lucas 
had been for twenty years one of the commissioners for 
adjusting the titles under these grants to the inhabitants 
of Upper Louisiana, and as such had been opposed to their 
confirmation by the United States. If Lucas were elected 
to the United States Senate, it was said that he would 

be in a position to 
block all the more 
effectively the land 
claims of Leduc and 
all others, while, on 
the other hand, if 
Benton were elect- 
ed, he, Benton, 
would be active 
in securing laws 
that would con- 
firm these claims. 

The winning of 
Leduc made Ben- 
The Capitol of Missouri at St. Charles ton's election sure 

provided it oc- 
curred immedi- 
ately. One of Ben- 
ton's supporters, Daniel Rahs, was mortally ill and his 
death was momentarily expected. Ralls was rooming up- 
stairs in the hotel where the assembly was sitting, but as he 
was too sick to sit up or even to lift his head, it was decided 
to bring him down to the assembly in his bed when the time 
came to elect senators. Accordingly four large negro men 
carried the bed downstairs with Ralls in it and thus he was 
able to cast his vote for Benton. After the ballot had been 
taken and Benton declared elected, Ralls was carried back 
to his room, where he very shortly afterward died.^ 

^ During this session the legislature named after Mr. Ralls one 
of the new counties created at the time. 




St. Charles was the temporary capital of Mis- 
souri from 1821 to 1826, during which time this 
building was used as the capitol. 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 13 1 

In addition to the election of the two United States 2. other 
Senators, other matters of importance were transacted ^"^^^^^^ 
by the general assembly at its first session, among 
which was the selection of St. Charles as the temporary 
capital until October i, 1826, and the appointment of a 
commission of five men to report on the pennanent 
capital.^ Ten new counties were created - and the three 
Presidential electors to which Missouri claimed she was 
entitled were selected. An attempt was made to pass a 




Another View of the Temporary Capitol at St. Charles 
As it looks to-day. 

resolution providing for several amendments to the State 
constitution. The court of chancery and the high mini- 
mum salaries were very unpopular throughout the State, 
but all attempts to get the legislature to pass a resolution 
providing for constitutional amendments abolishing the 
court of chancery and reducing salaries failed. 

1 On December 31, 1 82 1 , the general assembly passed an act 
fixing the permanent capital on the banks of the Missouri within 
40 miles of the mouth of the Osage River, and gave the name City 
of Jefferson to the place. The legislature met there for the first 
time in 1826. 2 See pages 79-80. 



132 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Second 

Missouri 

Compromise 



I. Objec- 
tionable 
Clause in 
Constitution 
Regarding 
Free Negroes 



4, Second Missouri Compromise and Admission of 
Missouri into the Union 

As has already been stated, Missouri was not admitted 
into the Union until more than a year after her constitu- 
tion was adopted. The reason for the delay was the 
objection that members of Congress raised against a 
certain clause in the constitution of Missouri which pro- 
vided that it should be the duty of the general assembly 
to pass such laws as might be necessary "to prevent free 

negroes and mulattoes from 
coming to and settling in 
the State under any pretext 
whatsoever." Members of 
Congress did not have to 
wait until Missouri's con- 
stitution was formally sub- 
mitted to Congress to find 
out about this objectionable 
clause. They had heard 
about it in advance, and the 
opponents of Missouri had 
their minds made up to keep 
her out of the Union so long 
as this clause remained in 
the constitution. Barton, Benton, and Scott soon dis- 
covered what the plan of the opponents of Missouri 
was, for they were not allowed to take their seats as 
Senators and Representatives until Missouri's constitu- 
tion was accepted. Scott would have been allowed to 
be seated as a delegate from the Territory of Missouri, 
but this he persistently refused. Moreover, Congress 
refused to accept Missouri's electoral vote except by 
special arrangement, and would not have done that had 
it not been that her vote did not affect the final result.^ 

1 The first Presidential electors from Missouri were elected not 
by the people of the State but by the legislature. This occurred 




Seal of the State of Missouri 

Adopted by an act of the legisla- 
ture approved January 11, 1822. 
From Houck's History of Missouri. 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 



^33 



The details of the action of Congress need not be re- 
lated here. It is sufficient to state that after consider- 
able debate and many attempts to settle the matter, a 
second Missouri Compromise was efifected through Clay, 



2. Terms of 
the Com- 
promise 




The Capitol at Jefferson City from 1837 to 1887 

Jefferson City became the capital of Missouri in 1826. A capitol building 
was erected there in 1825-26 on the site of the present governor's mansion. 
This was destroyed by fire in 1837. A second capitol was erected in 1837-38 
on Capitol Hill, and remained unchanged, as shown in the picture above, 
until 1887. 

whereby Missouri was allowed to come into the Union 
with the constitution she had adopted ; provided, first, 

on November 2, 1820, by a joint vote of both houses. The three 
electors chosen pledged themselves to vote for Monroe. 

When the time came for Congress to canvass the results of the 
election, the question at once arose as to whether Missouri had a 
right to vote or not. Missouri had not been admitted into the 
Union as yet, and although her vote would not affect the outcome 
of the election, the question was deemed a very important one. 
The same question had arisen in the pase of Indiana in 181 7. She 
had not been admitted into the Union at the time of the election 
in November, 18 16, but she had been admitted by the time Congress 
came to canvass the vote in February, 181 7. The decision that 
was reached then was to count Indiana's vote. 

But Missouri's case was not so simple as that of Indiana, inas- 
much as Missouri had not yet been admitted at the time Congress 
canvassed the vote. Congress wrestled with the matter for some 



134 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Expres- 
sions of 
Public 
Opinion in 
Missouri 
Regarding 
Congres- 
sional Delay 



that the objectionable clause should never be construed 
by the State to authorize the passage of a law by which 
any citizen of any of the states of the Union should be 
excluded from the enjoyment of the privileges and im- 
munities to which such a citizen is entitled under the 
Constitution of the United States ; and second, that the 
legislature of the State by a solemn public act should 
declare the assent of the State to this fundamental 
condition. It was further provided that when the 
President should have received an authorized copy of 
this solemn public act, he should announce the fact 
and thereupon the admission of Missouri would be com- 
pleted. 

The situation while this matter was pending in Congress 
was very trying to Missourians, as may well be imagined. 
They had a good deal to say, but "the expressions of public 
opinion were strangely neither boastful nor defiant. Never 
did Missouri more calmly and determinedly analyze a 
condition critical to herself and to the nation than at this 
time. Never was a people more united, more of one 
thought in their convictions, than were Missourians dur- 
ing the winter of 1820-21. They regarded Missouri as 
a state, and whether Congress passed an act of admission 
or not, they were determined she should never again be- 
come a territory unless force was used. They thought 
that Missouri had acted legally when a state constitution 
was formed and adopted and a state government was 
established. They saw nothing in Missouri's constitu- 
tion that was contrary to the United States Constitution, 
but they said that if by chance there was an illegal pro- 



time, but finally decided that if any one objected to Missouri's vote, 
the result should be reported in two ways: "Were the vote of 
Missouri to be counted, the result would be for A. B. for President 

of the United States votes; if not counted, for A. B. for 

President of the United States votes. But in either event 

A. B. is elected President of the United States. The same manner 
for Vice-President." 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 



vision in it, then the interpretation of this was a judicial 
and not a legislative function. They were convinced that 
Northern Congressmen were trying to embarrass Missouri, 
increase the extent of free soil, and impose their will on 
the slave states." 

When the people of Missouri heard of the passage of 
the above-mentioned resolution of Congress providing 
for the admission of Missouri, they were naturally Ajery ception of 

the News 



4. Rejoicing 
in Missouri 
on the Re- 




The Capitol at Jefferson City from 1887 to 19 ii 

The capitol built in 1837-38 was remodeled and enlarged in 1887-88 as 
shown in this picture. It was destroyed by fire on February 5, igii. For a 
picture of the capitol that was erected in its place, see the last chapter. 

joyous. "Their joy, was, however, founded mainly not 
on the pleasant anticipations of statehood in the Union 
in a few months, or a relief from suspense regarding what 
might have been Missouri's fate, but was founded on the 
defeat of the Eastern slavery restrietionists. Missouri 
took more delight in seeing her Eastern enemies defeated 
than in the good obtained from her victory." The 
people of Missouri also took great pride in "having 
maintained a consistent position of independent statehood 



136 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Solemn 
Public Act 
of the 
General 
Assembly 
of Missouri 



I. Provisions 
of the Act 



ever since the adoption of their constitution" in spite 
of the effort that had been made to deny Missouri that 
status. 

On June 4 a special session of the legislature was con- 
vened at St. Charles and the resolution of Congress was 
formally submitted to that body by Governor McNair. 
He recommended that the resolution immediately be con- 
sidored and that such legislative act as might be required 
by it should be passed, "carefully avoiding at the same 
time everything that might impair our political rights or 
draw in question the dignity and independent character of 
the State." 

There was in the general assembly some opposition to 
compliance with the resolution of Congress, but this was 
easily overcome, and the solemn public Act was duly 
framed and approved on June 26, 182 1. The language of 
this Act is such as to show very clearly that the legislature 
knew it was performing a farce and that, after Missouri 
should have acquired admission into the Union, it could 
undo what it was then doing and be perfectly safe 
therein. After reciting what Congress had laid down 
as a prerequisite condition for admission, the Act con- 
tinues : 

"Now, for as much as the good people of this State 
have, by the most solemn and public act in their power, 
virtually assented to the said fundamental condition, 
when by their representatives in full and free convention 
assembled, they adopted the constitution of this State, 
and consented to be incorporated into the Federal Union, 
and governed by the Constitution of the United States, 
which among other things provides that the said Con- 
stitution, and the laws of the United States made in 
pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be 
made under the authority of the United States, shall 
be the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every 
state shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution 
or law of any state to the contrary notwithstanding ; and 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 137 

although this general assembly are of opinion that the 
Congress of the United States have no constitutional 
power to annex any condition to the admission of this 
State into the Federal Union, and that this general as- 
sembly have no power to change the operation of the con- 
stitution of this State, except in the manner prescribed by 
the constitution itself ; nevertheless, as the Congress of 
the United States have desired this general assembly to 
declare the assent of this State to said fundamental con- 
dition, and forasmuch as such declaration will neither 
restrain, nor enlarge, limit or extend the operation of the 
Constitution of the United States, or of this State, but the 
said constitution will remain in all respects as if the said 
resolution had never passed, and the desired declaration 
was never made, and because such declaration will not 
divest any power or change the duties of any of the con- 
stituted authorities of this State, or of the United States, 
nor impair the rights of the people of this State, or impose 
any additional obligation upon them, but may promote 
an earlier enjoyment of their vested federal rights, and 
this State being moreover determined to give to her sister 
states, and to the world, the most unequivocal proof of 
her desire to promote the peace and harmony of the 
Union. Therefore, Be it enacted and declared by the 
General Assembly of the State of Missouri, and it is 
hereby solemnly and publicly enacted and declared, that 
this State has assented and does assent that the fourth 
clause of the twenty-sixth section of the third article of 
the constitution of this State shall never be construed to 
authorize the passage of any law, and that no law shall 
be passed in conformity thereto, by which any citizen of 
the United States shall be excluded from the enjoyment 
of any of the privileges and immunities to which such 
citizens are entitled under the Constitution of the United 
States." 

Although Missourians both in and out of the general -• Observ- 

. anceofthe 

assembly appreciated the hollowness of the fundamental Act until 1847 



138 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Admission 
of the State 
into the 
Union 



solemn public act condition which Congress imposed, 
and although they realized that legally there was no 
binding force to that act, it must be said to their credit 
that they recognized its moral force for more than twenty- 
five years, and that they did not violate it until 1847, 
Up to that time no law was passed by the Missouri 
legislature which excluded free negroes and mulattoes 
from emigrating from any other state to Missouri. 

On receiving an authentic copy of the solemn public 
act of the Missouri legislature, President Monroe on 
August 10, 182 1, issued the proclamation declaring the 
admission of Missouri into the Union as the twenty-fourth 
member of the United States. 



REFERENCES 

The material for this chapter has been drawn largely from Shoe- 
maker's Missouri's Struggle for Statehood. This book is a work of 
great scholarship and supersedes everything else that has ever been 
written on the subject. Most of the sources on which it is based 
were brought to light by the author in his researches. He is chiefly 
concerned with the views and opinions of Missourians during the 
contest over the question as to whether Missouri should be admitted 
into the Union or not, and with the organization of Missouri's 
first state government. He pays little attention to the Congressional 
controversy. 

Territorial Government — Houck, History of Missouri, vol. ii, 
chs. xxi and xxii ; vol. iii, ch. xxiii. Shoemaker, Missouri's Struggle 
for Statehood, ch. i. 

First Missouri Compromise — Carr, History of Missouri, ch. vii. 
Shoemaker, chs. ii, iii and iv. Houck, iii, 243-248. Hodder, "Side 
Lights on the Missouri Compromise," in the Missouri Historical 
Review for April, 191 1 , pp. 138-150. A brief treatment of the public 
opinion in Missouri during the struggle for admission into the Union. 
Hockett, "Rufus King and the Missouri Compromise," in the 
Missouri Historical Review, April, 1908, pp. 211-220. An estimate 
of King's part in the controversy and the motives that animated 
him in the matter. Burgess, Middle Period, pp. 61-95. -^ very good 
account of the controversy as it was waged in the halls of Congress. 

Missouri's First Constitution — Shoemaker, chs. v-ix inclusive. 
Shoemaker, "First Constitution of Missouri," in the Missouri 
Historical Review, January, 1912, pp. 51-63. Shoemaker, "Fathers 



STRUGGLE OF MISSOURI FOR STATEHOOD 



139 



of the State," in the Missouri Historical Review, October, 1915, pp. 
1-52. Both of these articles were later published as parts of the 
author's book, to which references have already been given. Houck, 
ch. iii, pp. 248-273. 

Second Missouri Compromise — Shoemaker, chs. x and xi. 
Carr, ch. viii. Burgess, pp. 95-107. 




Governor Alexander McNair's House 



CHAPTER VII 



EARLY BANKING IN MISSOURI 



Present 
Banking 
System in 
Missouri 



Early 
Barter 

System 



[Historical Setting. — Panic of 1837. This chapter covers the 
history of banking in Missouri from 18 13 to 1857 ^.nd presup- 
poses a general knowledge of the history of the First and the 
Second Banks of the United States.] 

There are in Missouri at present more than 1500 
banks and trust companies.^ Excluding the two federal 
banks in the State, the capital stock of the various banking 
institutions in Missouri is more than ninety-five million 
dollars, their deposits are more than six hundred million 
dollars, and their loans amount to more than six hundred 
fifty million dollars. It is a very small village, indeed, 
that does not have a bank of some sort. All the banks 
receive deposits and make loans, while only the national 
and the federal reserve banks issue notes that circulate as 
currency. We have become so accustomed to the con- 
veniences which the banks afford that we scarcely realize 
their great value. If, however, by some means all the 
banks should be eliminated from our commercial system, 
we should immediately come to understand how vital 
they are to our prosperity. 

Banking in Missouri is, however, just a little more than 
one hundred years old, the first bank having been estab- 
lished in St. Louis in 18 16, about fifty years after that 
place had been founded. Prior to 18 16, business in 
Missouri was transacted largely by barter, the chief 

' The banks and trust companies in Missouri at present (1918) are 
enumerated as follows : 14 private banks, 1309 incorporated banks, 75 
trust companies, 132 national banks, and 2 federal reserve banks. 

140 



EARLY BANKING IN MISSOURI 141 

media of exchange being furs, lead, and tobacco.' Farm- 
ing was the one chief occupation of the people of Mis- 
souri. But as they had no adequate means of getting 
their agricultural products to market readily, there was 
a constant shortage of money, and hence it was necessary 
to resort to barter ; and to supplement their main occu- 
pation many turned to other things, the most important 
of which was the fur business. Some men became traders, 
and others were trappers and hunters. As a result, furs 
were the commodity most generally used in barter. "All 
skins good enough for trade were considered good enough 
for currency," deerskins being taken as the standard 
because they were abundant and most steady in value. 
Skins used as currency were carefully counted and tied 
up in bundles and kept in warehouses. 

Furs and pelts were more easily carried to distant 
markets than grain, and it was generally through the fur 
trade that what little money there was in circulation in 
Missouri was brought into the country. But not every 
cargo of furs sent to market was disposed of for money. 
Many a shipment of furs was exchanged for a consignment 
of commodities most needed in Missouri, such as dry 
goods, sugar, coffee, and hardware ; and sometimes this 
return consignment would be months or even years in 
arriving, owing to the poor transportation facilities of 
the time. 

The Spanish milled dollar was the most common coin 
in circulation in Missouri, and for small change this dollar 
was actually cut into halves, quarters, and " bits " or half- 

1 The following typical advertisement in the Missouri Gazette 
for April 26, 18 10, is illustrative of the system of barter then in 
vogue: "The subscriber has just opened a quantity of bleached 
country linen, cotton cloth, cotton and wool cards, iron, German 
steel, smoothing irons, ladies' silk bonnets, artificial flowers, etc. 
Also a handsome new gig with plated harness, cable and cordelle 
rope, with a number of articles that suit this country. He will 
take in payment fur, hides, whisky, country-made sugar, bacon, and 
beeswax." 



142 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



First Banks 
in Missouri 



I. Bank of 
St. Louis and 
Bank of 
Missouri 



2. Collapse 
of these 
Banks 



quarters. Sometimes due bills were issued by the fur 
traders and were accepted as money by people not only 
at home but even at a distance. 

With the increase of population that ensued after the 
purchase of Louisiana, and with the growth in agriculture 
and commerce, it became more and more necessary to 
establish a better system of currency in what is now 
Missouri than had fonnerly prevailed. In addition to 
the impossibility of doing business on a large scale with 
commodities as the most common medium of exchange, 
there was also more or less uncertainty as to the exact 
value of these commodities, and there was the constant 
danger of the unscrupulous making use of inferior articles 
and representing them as being up to standard. Fre- 
quent attempts were made to prevent this form of cheat- 
ing, especially in furs, and regulations regarding their 
weight were made from time to time. 

The necessities of the situation led the territorial legis- 
lature to charter the Bank of St. Louis in 1813, with a 
capital not to exceed $165,000,^ and in 181 7 to charter the 
Bank of Missouri, with a capital stock of $250,000.- In 
addition to doing a regular banking business, such as 
receiving deposits and making loans, both institutions 
were authorized to issue notes that were to circulate as 
currency, and both were instrumental in stimulating 
business at home and abroad. But neither of these banks 
lasted very long. The Bank of St. Louis failed in 18 19, 
owing to some unfortunate speculation investments, and 
the Bank of Missouri went the same way in 1822. 

In fact, the period from 1815 to 18 19 was marked by a 
great amount of reckless speculation all over the country, 
particularly in the newer parts. There was a great mania 
for buying and seUing property, especially land. Immi- 
grants frequently bought much more land than they could 

• This Bank of St. Louis was not established, however, till 18 16. 
2 It is interesting to note the prominence that the French citizens 
of St. Louis had among the stockholders of these two banks. 



EARLY BANKING IN MISSOURI 1 43 

hope to pay for, and yet trusted to some turn of fortune 
in their favor which would enable them to meet their 
obligations. They also made large purchases from mer- 
chants on long-time credit. When, therefore, the country- 
wide panic occurred in 18 19, much distress ensued in 
Missouri. Everybody was in debt and the banks were 
not able to redeem their notes. Merchants could not 
get their debtors to pay them in specie, and the farmers 
got little or nothing for their abundant crops and harvest. 
Although a certain amount of relief was given when the 
United States Government passed laws extending the 
time of pa)mient, and when the State government issued 
loan certificates, the panic was nevertheless ver}^ disas- 
trous and was responsible for the undoing of the newly 
established banking system of Missouri. 

It was not till 1829 that Missouri had another bank. United 
In that year a branch of the United States Bank was statesBank 

•^ in St. Louis 

established in St. Louis. It had in turn several branches 
throughout the State, and it gave the people a safer and 
more convenient currency than they had been having. But 
it was forced to wind up its business when, on account of 
Jackson's veto of the bill to renew the charter of the United 
States Bank, the parent institution went out of business 
in 1836.^ The veto of Jackson produced considerable 
agitation in St. Louis. A very vigorous protest against 
it was framed by a meeting of representative citizens 
on July 24, 1832. It should be noted, however, that 
this protest did not represent the views of everybody 
in St. Louis, for on the evening of the same day another 
group held a meeting in that city and expressed their 
decided approval of Jackson's procedure. 

But St. Louis had become a city of 6000 people by 1836, Bank of the 
and steamboats were plying between it and New Orleans, Missouri 
Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Galena. It was 
therefore impossible, under these conditions, for the 

1 It is rather significant that the bank closed its business with 
a loss of only $125. 



144 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. Need for 
a Bank 



2. Chartered 
by the 
Legislature, 
1837 



city to go on without good banking facilities. The 
Cincinnati Commercial Agency established a branch in 
St. Louis in 1836, but this was soon found insufficient for 
the needs of the community. Moreover, the State was 
flooded at this time with paper money from the banks of 
other states, which was popularly called "shinplasters," 
"wildcat " ciu-rency, or "dog" currency.^ This paper 
money was issued by the various banks on the suppo- 
sition that they would redeem it in specie on demand. 
But, as is generally known, most of these banks were 
more or less unsound and their notes were therefore 
more or less valuable. Because of the uncertainty in 
value of this paper currency that was circulating in 
Missouri, the Mexican silver coins which were being 
brought into the State through the Sante Fe trade ^ were 
being driven out, as always happens when cheap money 
begins to circulate in a community. Missouri was the 
only state in the Union at that time that did not have 
one or more banks of issue, and yet because of the wide 
circulation of the paper money issued by the more or less 
unsound banks of other states, Missouri was suffering 
from "all the evils of banking with none of its advan- 
tages." In order, therefore, to facilitate commerce and 
give it a chance to develop, and further to thwart the 
evils of wildcat currency, and to aid specie circulation in 
the State, men began in 1836 to demand that the legis- 
lature — acting upon the authority which the constitu- 
tion of the State had conferred upon it — should charter 
a bank. 

Fortunately for Missouri, the constitutional conven- 
tion of 1820 had been very conservative in making pro- 
visions for a bank. This was probably due to the country- 
wide panic of 1819. At any rate, the convention inserted 

1 This paper currency was called "white dog," "red dog," "blue 
dog," or "blue pup," according to the color of the paper that was 
used. 

2 For details concerning this trade, see Chapter IX. 



EARLY BANKING IN MISSOURI 145 

in the constitution an article on banking which gave the 
legislature authority to incorporate only one banking 
company in the State, with not more than five branches. 
The capital stock was not to exceed five million dollars, 
one half of which was to be reserved for the use of the 
State. Attempts were made at the first session of the 
State legislature in 1820, and also at the next session, 
to get a bill passed which would provide for a bank under 
this constitutional provision, but these efforts failed, and 
it was not until 1837 that the legislature took advantage 
of the authority which the constitution had conferred upon 
it to authorize the opening of a State bank.^ The bill 
providing for the bank went through the legislature within 
thirty days after it was introduced, and the stock was all 
subscribed for within two months after it had been placed 
on sale, thus revealing that people had complete con- 
fidence in the bank.^ 

The management of this bank thus created in 1837 3. Manage- 
was in the hands of a president and twelve directors, of 
whom the president and six directors were to be elected 
by the legislature every two years. In addition to the 
semi-annual statements which the bank had to make to 
the government, there were ample provisions for its 
periodical examination. The bank could not issue notes 
of less than $10 in value, and whenever it should cease 
to redeem its notes in specie it was to go at once into 
the hands of a receiver. The charter was to run until 
1857, but no longer. 

At the same time that the legislature authorized the 
creation of a bank, it passed another law expelling all the 

' Missouri went through the panic of 1837, which had been 
brought on largely by the winding up of the affairs of the United 
States Bank, much better than most states. Probably this had 
something to do with influencing the legislature to charter the 
Bank of the State of Missouri that year. 

2 It took two years to sell enough of the stock of the old Bank 
of St. Louis to get it opened. 



ment of 
the Bank 



146 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

foreign banking agencies in the State and prohibiting any 
other from entering. The Cincinnati Commercial Agency 
thereupon withdrew from the State and turned over its 
business to the newly created bank. 
4. Effects of The Bank of the State of Missouri proved to be a thriv- 
1837 on the ^^S ^^^ beneficial institution from the start. Its notes 
Bank were accepted as good as gold everywhere, and in some 

places they were considered even better than gold. It 
was put to a very severe test within two years of its 
establishment. On October 8, 1837, the banks of Phila- 
delphia suspended specie payment and in a short time all 
the banks of the South and West, except the one in 
Missouri, did likewise. The directors of the Bank of the 
State of Missouri met and ordered that as far as bank 
notes were concerned they would in future pay out and 
receive only the notes of those institutions that were 
specie paying. This order produced much excitement in 
St. Louis ^ and throughout the State. There was in 
circulation in Missouri a great deal of currency issued by 
banks that had suspended specie payment. If such 
currency was refused by the Bank of the State of Mis- 
souri, that meant a further depreciation in its current 
value. Several wealthy men offered to bind themselves 
to stand good for any losses that the bank might sustain 
in taking the notes of those institutions that had sus- 
pended specie payment, but the directors declined to 

'The Missouri Repuhlican said: "The bank excitement con- 
tinued very high yesterday. In fact, it is the only subject matter 
of conversation or consideration. The inhabitants, it might hter- 
ally be said, have forsaken their counting rooms and the mechanics 
their shops. Wherever two or three met, the action of the bank 
was a theme of conversation, and in every circle that we have fallen 
in with, whatever might be the politics of those composing it, the 
resolution of the directors was condemned without measure or 
reserve. In truth, there never has been in the country so universal 
and unanimous a condemnation of any measure as this. Execra- 
tions loud and deep are freely uttered in every quarter and by men 
of all parties." 



EARLY BANKING IN MISSOURI 



147 



accept their offer or to modify their order. Many people 
thereupon withdrew their deposits from the bank and 
put them with the insurance companies that were doing a 
kind of banking business in the city. 

Under these circumstances efforts were made to get the 
legislature to do something toward driving out the wildcat 
currency that was flooding the State. In 1838 a bill levy- 
ing very heavy penalties against any one who should pass 
or receive any banknotes of less than $20, other than 
those of the Bank of the State of Missouri, was introduced 
into the legislature, but it failed of passage. The bill was 
introduced again in 1840 with the same result. How- 
ever, in 1842, two bills were passed against the use 
of such currency, but the penalties for using it were 
assessed only against corporations, money lenders, and 
exchange brokers. There was too much of this fonn of 
money in the hands of people to shut them out from using 
it altogether, but the circulation was considerably re- 
stricted by the fining of the corporations, money lenders, 
and exchange brokers if they undertook to make use 
of it.i 

But during the forties and fifties the need for greater 
and better banking facilities in Missouri grew very rapidly. 
The State was not only developing her own resources, but 
the regions lying to the west as far as the coast were 
going through the pioneer stage during this period, and 
they depended very largely upon Missouri as the center of 
most of their trade. These conditions not only demanded 
greater facilities for depositing money for safekeeping 
and for making loans and effecting exchange, but also 
demanded some sort of means for increasing the volume 
of currency. The Bank of the State of Missouri was for 
ten years the only bank of any sort in the State, but in 

1 By the time this law was passed the Bank of the State of 
Missouri had rescinded its action of 1839 and had decided to re- 
ceive and pay out the paper of other banks at its current value, 
whether those banks had suspended specie payment or not. 



5. Laws 
against the 
Use of 
"Wildcat" 
Currency 



Banking 
Law of 1857 

I. Need for 
More Banks 
of Issue 



148 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Constitu- 
tional 
Amendment 



3. Creation 
of New 
Banks 



1847 the Boatmen's Saving Institution was established 
in St. Louis.* This was a purely savings institution and 
had no right to issue bank bills. Several other private 
banks were established in the State, in the decade after 
1847, rnerely to accommodate the people by receiving 
their money on deposit and by making loans to them. 
The only institution in Missouri that could issue bills 
between 1837 and 1857 was the Bank of the State of 
Missouri. 

From this it may readily be seen that Missouri's greatest 
need was to increase the number of banks that could issue 
paper currency on a safe and sound basis. But a con- 
stitutional provision which limited the authority of the 
legislature to the chartering of only one bank and no 
more stood in the way. This obstacle was removed in 
1857, when the constitution of the State was amended so 
as to authorize additional banks of issue. ^ But, true to the 
conservative spirit that has always marked Missourians, 
the amendment limited the number of parent banks to 
ten, and provided that their capital should never exceed 
$20,000,000, and that the notes issued on the basis of $2 
in currency to $1 of paid-up capital should always be re- 
deemable on demand. 

Under this constitutional authority the legislature 
authorized six parent banks in St. Louis (Merchants, 
Mechanics, Southern, Exchange, Union, and Bank of 
St. Louis) and one in Lexington (Farmers), and made 
them subject to close and rigid inspection. The notes 
of these banks went into circulation and immediately 

1 This bank still exists in St. Louis under the name of Boatmen's 
Bank. 

^ In 1852 a committee of the legislature examined the condi- 
tion of the Bank of the State of Missouri and its eight branches. 
They found that its assets were nearly $4,000,000 and that the 
outstanding circulation of notes was nearly $1,500,000. The 
thriving condition of the bank was very reassuring and no doubt 
had much to do with the passing of the constitutional amendment 
of 1857 authorizing more than one State bank. 



EARLY BANKING IN MISSOURI 149 

expelled all the "wildcat" and "dog" currency then 
in use in the State. They remained in circulation until 
the National Bank Law of 1864, which levied a tax 
of ten per cent on the notes of state banks, went into 
effect and forced these notes to be withdrawn. All of 
the six banks of St. Louis that had been authorized under 
the law of 1857 were, in the course of time, transformed 
into National banks. 

The new banking law of 1857 went into operation under 4- Effects of 
decidedly adverse auspices. Another panic broke out ^^ ^g ^^^^ 
in that year as the result of the failure of the Ohio Life 
and Trust Company of Cincinnati. This failure forced 
the banks throughout the country, including those of 
Missouri, to suspend specie payment. The banks in 
Missouri did not have time to recover from the ill effects 
of this panic before the Civil War came on, and it was not 
till after the close of the war that specie payment was 
resumed by them. The legislature very wisely refused 
to demand the forfeiture of their charters as the consti- 
tution provided should be done if they suspended specie 
payment, but allowed them to continue to exist. As 
a result of this action, these banks weathered the storm 
and have all continued down to this day. 

Before the law of 1857 was passed, private banks had Private 

been estabhshed in St. Joseph and in Kansas City. In ?a°ksin 

■'St. Joseph 
1856 the first bank of Kansas City was established by and Kansas 

Northrup and Chick. At that time Kansas City was an ^'^^ 
insignificant place, and the people in that part of the 
State had been accustomed to do their banking at Lexing- 
ton or Liberty or Independence. In 1852 the first bank 
was established in St. Joseph by Armstrong Beattie. At 
that time the place was only nine years old. 

In concluding this chapter on early banking in Missouri, End of the 

a word or two should be said about the later history of ?ankofthe 

... State of 

the Bank of the State of Missouri, which had been or- Missouri 

ganized in 1837. It underwent an important change in 

1866, when the State sold its shares of stock to a number 



I50 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



of men, and the bank was transfonned into a National 
bank with eight different branches. It did not prosper, 
however, and wound up its affairs in 1876, going out of 
business entirely. 

It is evident, from what has been said, that Missouri 
was decidedly fortunate as regards banks and banking. 
Thanks to Missouri conservatism, the greatest safe- 
guards were thrown around banking in the State, and 
as a result Missouri banks were never classed as "wild- 
cat" institutions. In this respect Missouri stands alone 
among the states of the Union. 

REFERENCES 

Knox, History of Banking in the United States, pp. 779-793. The 
first part of this book deals with the history of national banking ; 
the second part with the history of banking in the different states. 
The reference given above is devoted to the history of banking in 
Missouri from earliest times to about 1900. Encyclopedia of Mis- 
souri History, vol. i, pp. 1 16-132. A series of short articles on banking 
in Missouri in early days and in the principal cities of the State in 
later days. 








Old Pontoon Bridge at St. Charles 



CHAPTER VIII 



EXPEDITIONS OF KEARNY AND DONIPHAN 



[Historical Setting. 
Mexico, 1846-48.] 



The War between the United States and 



The war between the United States and Mexico in 1846- 
48 was very popular in Missouri. This was due to the 
great interest that Missourians took in the question of 
the annexation of Texas, which was the primary cause of 
the war. It is not the intention here to go into the details 
of the revolt of Texas from Mexico in 1836, or of her an- 
nexation to the United States in 1845. But it must be 
noted that the question of the annexation of Texas was 
the chief issue in the Presidential campaign of 1844, and 
that the people of Missouri gave Polk, the Democratic 
candidate, who had come out squarely in favor of annexa- 
tion, a very decided majority as against Clay, the Whig 
candidate, who did not commit himself unreservedly in 
the matter. 

Two reasons, at least, may be assigned as to why Mis- 
sourians were interested in the annexation of Texas to the 
United States : first, their belief in the "manifest destiny" 
of the country to incorporate ultimately all the territory 
adjoining her borders, especially that on the west ; second, 
the close blood relationship between the people of Missouri 
and of Texas. Shortly after the revolt of Mexico from 
Spain in the early twenties, Missourians began to migrate 
to Texas, and by the time Texas had begun her war of 
independence against Mexico in 1835, there were a goodly 
number of Missouri colonists in Texas. Moreover, the 
struggle against Mexico induced a great many Missou- 



Interest of 
Missourians 
in the An- 
nexation of 
Texas 



I. Belief in 
"Manifest 
Destiny" 



2. Blood 
Relationship 
between the 
People of 
Missouri 
and Texas 



152 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. No In- 
terest in 
the Exten- 
sion of Slave 
Territory 



First 

Volunteers 
for the 
Mexican 
War 



rians to join their fortunes with the Texans, so that it is 
safe "to assert that between 1822 and 1836 there were few 
prominent Missouri famiHes that were not at some time 
represented in the hfe of the new state." Naturally, then, 
Missourians were interested in having Texas annexed 
to the Union, and were willing to engage in war to see 
that end accomplished. 

It has been asserted that Missourians desired the an- 
nexation of Texas as a means of extending slave territory, 
but that can hardly be assigned as a leading motive with 
them. "Certainly as far as the people of Missouri were 
concerned, the extension of the slave area was so little 
thought of at this time that but for the prominence given 
to it by the opponents of annexation, it would not have 
entered into their calculations." And the Missourians 
were very careful to let it be known that they were not for 
annexation because of their interest in the ex^Dansion of 
slave territory. This is seen in the resolution adopted by 
the legislature in 1844, in which it was declared that the 
existence of slavery "ought to be left to the people who 
now, or may hereafter, occupy the territory that may be 
annexed." At the same time it was declared that they 
deemed the annexation of Texas so essential to the interest 
of the State and of the United States "that, rather than 
fail in the consummation of this object, they will consent 
to such just and reasonable compromises as may be in- 
dispensably necessary to secure the accompaniment of 
the measure, and preserve the peace and hannony of the 
Union." 

On hearing of the outbreak of hostilities between the 
United States and Mexico in the region between the Rio 
Grande and Nueces rivers in April, 1846, Missourians 
began to get themselves ready to take part in the war, and 
when a call came from General Gaines, who was in com- 
mand of the military department of New Orleans, for 
volunteers to go to the assistance of General Taylor on the 
border between Texas and Mexico, a regiment of 650 men 



EXPEDITIONS OF KEARNY AND DONIPHAN 153 



was quickly raised in Missouri and started down the 
Mississippi on its way to the seat of war. But these men 
were destined never to see any actual service, for General 
Gaines' action was disavowed at Washington, and all 
the troops that came at his call from Missouri and other 
states were discharged and sent home at the end of three 
months. 

But if the Missouri troops that had gone south at the call 
of General Gaines were disappointed in being sent back, 
an opportunity meanwhile was offered Missourians for 
service in another direction. Congress passed an Act in 
May, 1846, authorizing the President to call into the field 
50,000 volunteers, who were designed to operate against 
Mexico at three points. Taylor was to penetrate directly 
into the heart of the country with the Army of the South ; 
Wool was to operate against Chihuahua with the Army 
of the Center ; and Kearny was to march from Santa Fe 
with the Army of the West. This plan of operation was 
subsequently modified, especially as to the movements of 
the Southern and Central armies. But inasmuch as the 
Army of the West was made up largely of Missourians, 
we shall confine our attention here to its movements. 

There were two very pertinent reasons why our Govern- 
ment sent an expedition against Santa Fe. First, Santa Fe 
was the terminus of the trail along which a large part of 
the commerce between the western portion of the United 
States and Mexico had been passing for twenty years or 
more. In the succeeding chapter this matter will be 
dealt with fully. Second, it was the political capital of the 
Mexican province of New Mexico.^ For economic and 
political reasons, therefore, it was good policy for our 
Government to send an expedition to Santa Fe after war 
against Mexico had been decided upon. 



Preparation 
for the 
Santa Fe 
Expedition 



I. Reasons 
for the 
Expedition 



1 New Mexico was a vast stretch of country about 200,000 square 
miles in area on either side of the Upper Rio Grande. It had a 
population of 160,000 people, one third of whom were the Pueblo 
Indians. Santa Fe had a population of about 6000. 



154 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Gathering 
of Troops 
at Fort 
Leavenworth 



3. Election 
of Doniphan 
as Colonel 



About the middle of May, 1846, Governor Edwards of 
Missouri issued a call for volunteers to join the expedition 
to Santa Fe. The volunteers were to gather at Fort 
Leavenworth and the expedition was to be conducted 
by Colonel Stephen W. Kearny of the First Dragoons 
of the United States Army. In response to this call 
eight mounted companies were formed in eight different 
counties of the State (Jackson, Lafayette, Clay, Saline, 

Franklin, Cole, Howard, and 
Callaway), with a total en- 
listment of 856, and in addi- 
tion there were formed a 
battalion of light artillery 
of two companies from St. 
Louis, numbering 250 men, 
and a battalion of infantry 
from the counties of Cole 
and Platte, composed of 145 
men. Besides these volun- 
teer contingents there were 
the First Dragoons of the 
regular United States Army, 
numbering 300, and the 
Laclede Rangers from St. 
Louis, numbering 107, who 
were attached to the Dra- 
goons. There were in all 1658 men under the immediate 
command of Colonel Kearny, all of whom, except the 300 
Dragoons, were Missourians. Kearny, himself, was a 
citizen of Missouri. 

Before starting out for Santa Fe the eight companies 
which composed the First Regiment of Missouri Mounted 
Volunteers elected Alexander William Doniphan of Clay 
County as their colonel, witli the understanding that if 
Colonel Kearny should die or become disabled, Doniphan 
should succeed to the command of the entire expedition. 
On the 26th day of June, 1846, the main body of this 




Colonel Stephen W. Kearny 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center 
State, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 



EXPEDITIONS OF KEARNY AND DONIPHAN 155 



Army of the West set out from Fort Leavenworth for March to 
Santa Fe, about 100 wagons loaded with provisions for the ^^^^ ^® 
troops having been sent on in advance. The progress 
was very slow until the Santa Fe trail was reached, about 
65 miles west of Independence, the starting point of the 



'boundary 'of'unItTd 



lOV/A 




XX XXX Kearny's Route 
®®®®® DoNiPHAN'5 Route 



Kearny and Doniphan's Expedition, 1846-47 

trail. This slowness was due to the fact that "there was 
no road or even a path leading from Fort Leavenworth 
into the regular Santa Fe trail." Traveling was therefore 
a very difficult thing. Deep ravines and creeks with steep 
banks, tall grass and soft ground were some of the things 
encountered by the troops. Most of their time was spent 



I. Difficul- 
ties of the 
March 



156 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

in making roads and constructing temporary bridges. 
The trail was finally reached early in July, and thereafter 
progress became somewhat more rapid. On August 18 
Santa Fe was reached, Colonel Kearny's army having 
made the march of about 900 miles in less than fifty days. 

The advance of the troops along the trail was not made, 
however, without considerable difficulty and many hard- 
ships. The heat at times was very oppressive, especially 
in crossing what was known as the Great American Desert, 
and the men and their horses frequently suffered from very 
great thirst. They were also very much annoyed by 
gnats and mosquitoes during part of the march, and while 
they were passing through the desert the wind-driven 
sand "filled their eyes and nostrils and mouths almost to 
suffocation," besides making marching exceedingly dif- 
ficult. Swollen streams had to be bridged and underbrush 
cut away. There was always more or less danger from 
wolves and Indians. During the last third of the march 
the rations were cut down first to one half and later to 
one third of the normal amount, so that the men suffered 
greatly from hunger. Many men and horses died along 
the way. 
2. Entry into When the Mexican governor heard of the approach of 
Santa Fe Kearny's army, he assembled his troops, amounting to 
7000 men — 2000 of whom were well armed — at a pass 
fifteen miles from Santa Fe, with the intention of giving 
battle. But when Kearny came up to the pass, he found 
that the Mexican force had completely disappeared. It 
is said that a dispute had arisen among the Mexican generals 
as to who should have the supreme command, and that the 
soldiers had seized the opportunity to desert. However 
that may have been, Kearny with less than 2000 Americans 
was able to march to Santa Fe and enter it unopposed, 
and to take ' ' peaceable and undisputed possession of the 
country without the loss of a single man or the shedding 
of one drop of blood in the name of the United States." 
On the day after he took possession of Santa Fe, Kearny 



EXPEDITIONS OF KEARNY AND DONIPHAN 1 57 

issued a proclamation whereby he annexed the province 3- Kearny's 
of New Mexico to the United States as the territory of New AnnexiUf '"*" 
Mexico. He then committed to Colonel Doniphan and New Mexico 
Willard P. Hall, another Missourian and a private in one 
of the companies, the task of drafting a constitution and a 
body of laws to govern the newly acquired territory, and 
on receiving the draft from them he ordered it to be 
proclaimed and enforced.^ Furthermore, he appointed 
Charles Bent of Bent's Fort,^ another Missourian, to be 
governor of the territory. 

There is considerable doubt as to whether Kearny had 
any authority to do all these things. In fact President 
Polk, in a communication to Congress regarding this 
expedition, speaks of "the exercise of an excess of power" 
on the part of Kearny, but justifies it on the ground that 
it was "the offspring of a patriotic desire to give the in- 
habitants the privileges and immunities so cherished by the 
people of our own country." Notwithstanding the lack 
of authority for these acts by Kearny, they were not 
repudiated. 

About a month after his arrival at Santa Fe, Kearny Kearny's 
set out for California with his 300 dragoons to cooperate t^Caliornia 
with other forces that the United States Government was 
sending to that region for the purpose of effecting its 
conquest. We are not concerned here with the history of 
this California expedition, and shall have nothing further 
to say about it, except that Kearny reached San Diego 
early in December and was very successful in his opera- 
tions in what is now southern California. 

On September 28, three days after Kearny's departure 
from Santa Fe for California, Colonel Sterling Price arrived 

' The constitution and the laws of the new territory of New 
Mexico were compiled largely from those of Missouri and Texas. 

2 Bent's Fort was situated on the Arkansas River in what is now 
southeastern Colorado, not very far from La Junta. Kearny 
rested his men near this fort for three days while advancing on 
Santa F6. 



158 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Price's Ex- 
pedition to 
Santa Fe 



Doniphan's 
Expedition 
against the 
Navajos 



in Santa Fe with the Second Missouri Mounted Volunteers 
that had been raised by the order of the President as a 
reenforcement to Kearny. About 1200 men from Boone, 
Benton, Carroll, Chariton, Linn, Livingston, Monroe, 
Randolph, Ste. Genevieve, and St. Louis counties vol- 
unteered their services and gathered at Fort Leavenworth, 
from which place they set out for Santa Fe between the 
first and the tenth of August.^ Price was a member of 
Congress from Missouri when the war broke out, but he 
resigned shortly afterward and was appointed by the 
President to take command of these reenforcements.- 

Price, as has been said, reached Santa Fe in the latter 
part of September, having been a little more than fifty 
days in making the journey. His arrival made it possible 
for Doniphan, who had been left in charge of affairs at 
Santa Fe after the departure of Kearny for California, to 
move to Chihuahua and there join General Wool, who was 
supposed to have been moving to that point from some 
place in Texas. But before Doniphan could get ready 
to go to Chihuahua, an order was sent back to him 
from Kearny to march against the Navajos, who had been 
committing a great many outrages, and who had refused to 
come in and acknowledge the United States Government. 

' At about this time Captain Allen of the First Dragoons suc- 
ceeded in organizing among the Mormons then living in and around 
Council Bluflfs, Iowa, a force of 500 men, all volunteer infantry, 
for service in California. This force was brought to Fort Leaven- 
worth and set out on its journey to California, following Price as 
far as Santa Fe. 

2 Immediately after Price left Fort Leavenworth for Santa F6, 
another requisition was made on tlie government of Missouri for 
1000 additional volunteers to join Kearny in New Mexico. This 
new force, which was to be called the Third Regiment of Missouri 
Volunteers, was to be all infantry and was to gather at Fort Leaven- 
worth as the other regiments had done. The requisite number was 
soon brought together and Major Daugherty of Clay County was 
elected colonel of the regiment. But, greatly to the disappoint- 
ment of these volunteers, they were shortly ordered to disband and 
return to their homes. There seemed to be no need for them. 



EXPEDITIONS OF KEARNY AND DONIPHAN 1 59 



The Navajos were a very warlike people, perhaps the 
most martial of all the Indians of the southwestern 
country, and out of their population of about 12,000 
they were able to muster 1500 warriors. They ranged 
over the country lying between the Rio Grande and the 
Colorado rivers, most of which was very mountainous 
and rugged. 

As winter was rapidly coming on and as the mountains 
would soon become impassable on account of the heavy 
snows, Doniphan decided 
to carry out Kearny's 
order at once. He there- 
fore divided his command 
into three sections and 
ordered them to advance 
into the heart of the 
Navajo country along 
three different routes. 
Major Gilpin was in 
charge of one part. Lieu- 
tenant Colonel Jackson of 
another, and Colonel Doni- 
phan of the third. The 
orders were to chastise the 
Navajos wherever they 
appeared hostile, and to 
take their chiefs as hos- 
tages where they appeared 

to be peaceably inclined. With that done, the three 
sections were to join their forces at Bear Springs. 

The advance of these different divisions was accom- 
plished under very great difficulty. The troops were not 
properly equipped for an expedition into a mountainous 
country at that season of the year, and they were forced 
to endure great hardships all the way. This was par- 
ticularly true of the men under Gilpin. Their difficulties 
were increased many times by the heavy snows that fell 




Colonel A. W. Doniphan 

From Vida Smith's Young People's 
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter Day Saints. 



I. Severe 
Suffering oi 
the Men 



i6o 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Suppres- 
sion of the 
Navajos 



Doniphan's 
Expedition 
through 
Mexico 



while they were going over the mountains, and by the 
extremely cold weather. 

In due time, however, the three divisions met at the 
appointed place, Bear Springs, and a treaty was finally 
made with the Navajos by which they agreed that they 
would thereafter keep the peace not only with the Ameri- 
cans, but also with the people of New Mexico and 
with the Pueblo Indians. Doniphan had some difficulty 
in explaining to the Navajos how it was that he was 
defending the people whom he had come out to fight. 
For years the Navajos had made war on the New Mexicans, 
and since the United States had invaded New Mexico it 
seemed proper to them that Doniphan should join his 
troops with them in continuing the war with the Mexicans. 
But when Doniphan explained that the situation was 
altogether changed because of the surrender of New 
Mexico to the United States, the Navajos agreed to the 
treaty of peace. Probably Doniphan's show of military 
force had something to do \vith bringing the Navajos to 
terms. 

Having performed the mission that had been imposed 
upon him by Kearny, Doniphan then returned to his 
headquarters on the Rio Grande, and after giving his men 
a few days' rest, began his advance to the south upon 
Chihuahua, about the middle of December, 1846. To facil- 
itate the march across the Great Desert, he divided his men 
into three detachments and started them out at different 
intervals. Major Gilpin led off with 300 men. Lieutenant 
Colonel Jackson followed with 200 men, and Doniphan 
brought up the rear with the rest. The men suffered a 
great deal in passing through this desert, which was called 
by the Mexicans, "The Journey of the Dead." The 
weather became extremely cold and the men were not 
able to find any water to drink or any wood with which 
to build fires. But, by forced marches they got through 
the desert in three days and the three detachments were 
reunited at Donna Anna, a small place in the state of 



Brazito 



EXPEDITIONS OF KEARNY AND DONIPHAN l6l 

Chihuahua, where they found an abundance of supplies 
and water. 

From this point they proceeded a day or two later down i. Battle of 
the Rio Grande unopposed until they came to an arm of 
the river called Brazito (which means "Little Arm"), 
where they were surprised by a force of about 1300 Mexi- 
cans. Doniphan's front guard had called a halt and were 
scattered out searching for forage when the Mexicans 
appeared. Forming in line very hastily, the Missourians 
received the charge that was directed against them, and 










I'ji: 



Dcniphan'o Army on the March 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center Stale, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 

in less than half an hour the skirmish was over and the 
Mexicans were in full retreat. Doniphan's loss was only 
eight wounded, while that of the Mexican was 79 killed and 
150 wounded. After the battle was over Doniphan's men 
gathered up a supply of provisions that had been abandoned 
by the Mexicans on the field and made for themselves a 
great Christmas feast, for the engagement had occurred 
on Christmas afternoon. 

Two days later El Paso was taken without any resist- 2. Entry int. 
ance. Investigations were at first instituted to ascertain '^ 

what food supplies were to be had there and what also 
was available in the way of arms and ammunition. 
Owing to the kind treatment which the people of El Paso 



l62 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. March to 
Chihuahua 



4. Battle of 
Sacramento 



had received at the hands of the Americans, they were 
very generous toward the soldiers and extended to them 
many hospitalities. 

It was while he was at El Paso that Doniphan learned 
that General Wool had not advanced upon the city of Chi- 
huahua at all. This was not very encouraging, but 
Doniphan put the matter up to his men as to what should 
be done, and they promptly advised him to proceed to 
Chihuahua, which was over 200 miles distant. It was not 
deemed advisable, however, to go without the artillery 
which had been ordered from Santa Fe, and so Doniphan 
remained at El Paso for 42 days waiting for it to arrive. 
It was not until February 8, 1847, that the march was 
resumed. On March i, Chihuahua was reached and taken. 

The troops were forced to undergo great suffering while 
passing through stretches of desert land that intervened 
along the way between El Paso and Chihuahua. The 
heavy sand made travel almost impossible, and the men 
and mules were consumed with great thirst. Once the 
whole expedition was threatened with annihilation by a 
prairie fire and saved itself only by most heroic efforts. 

No opposing force was met, however, until they reached 
the pass of Sacramento, fifteen miles from Chihuahua. 
Here the enemy was discovered "occupying the brow of a 
rocky eminence," which was well fortified. "So certain 
of victory were the Mexicans," it is said, "that they had 
prepared strings and handcuffs" in which they meant to 
drive the Americans as prisoners to the City of Mexico. 
There were over 4000 Mexicans, well suppHedwith artillery, 
awaiting the Americans at the pass. Doniphan's force 
numbered a few more than 900 effective men. Notwith- 
standing this big difference in numbers, the American loss 
was only one killed and eleven wounded, three of whom 
subsequently died. The Mexican loss, however, was 
200 killed and ^bout 300 wounded. The day following the 
battle, Doniphan took possession of Chihuahua. 

After taking Chihuahua Doniphan learned that both 



EXPEDITIONS OF KEARNY AND DONIPHAN 1 63 

Wool and Taylor were shut up by Santa Anna at Saltillo, s- Advance 
about 470 miles southeast of Chihuahua. He therefore j^°(i ^J^ta- 
dispatched an express to Saltillo with a special communica- moras 
tion to Wool in which he offered to come at once if only 
ordered to do so. He declared that his troops were wholly 
unfitted for garrison service and would be ruined by 
improper indulgences if they were kept as a "wagon 
guard" at Chihuahua. He therefore begged for an order 
to join Wool at once, especially since the term of service 
of his men was about to expire. 

In due time an order came back from General Taylor 
to Doniphan directing him to proceed to Saltillo and thence 
to Matamoras, where his men would embark for the 
United States. The march from Chihuahua to the Gulf 
was a very tedious and arduous one, and the men had to 
undergo many hardships and much real suffering. On 
May 22, Doniphan and his men reached Saltillo, and on 
June 9 they arrived at Brazos Island at the mouth of the 
Rio Grande, from which place they embarked the next 
day for New Orleans and home. "With their arrival 6. Embarka- 
on the shores of the Gulf this extraordinary march «came 
to an end. Including the Navajo expedition, it had 
extended over a distance of 3000 miles through an unin- 
habited or hostile country, often without water or supplies 
of any kind ; and it had been made in the face of diflfi- 
culties which tested to the utmost the endurance of those 
who took part in it. That they were able to accomplish 
it with a loss of less than 50 men, counting those who fell 
in the sharply contested action at Sacramento, speaks 
volumes for the material of the command, and justly 
entitled them to the enthusiastic welcome which they 
received on their return." ^ 

1 It is a singular coincidence that, just seventy years after Doni- 
phan made his expedition across the deserts of Chihuahua, General 
Pershing led his punitive expedition over part of this same territory, 
hunting for the Mexican bandit. Villa. The coincidence is the more 
interesting as Pershing, like Doniphan, is a native Missourian. 



tion for 
Home 



164 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Reception 
of the 
Troops at 
St. Louis 



Rebellion 
in New 
Mexico 



On hearing that the Missouri volunteers were returning 
home by the way of the Mississippi River, the people of 
St. Louis prepared to give them a hearty welcome. But 
as the soldiers returned in detached parties they could not 
be induced to remain in St. Louis until all had arrived and 
then partake together of the proffered hospitality. It was 
therefore decided by the St. Louisans to go through with 
the formalities of the reception on July 2, at which time a 
considerable number of the troops were present. ' ' Accord- 
ingly, the various military and fire companies of the city 
were paraded in full uniform ; the people collected in 
great crowds ; the Mexican cannon, the trophies of vic- 
tory, were dragged along the streets, crowned with gar- 
lands ; and an immense procession was formed" which 
proceeded to a certain place where Thomas Hart Benton 
delivered "a most thrilling and eloquent address, re- 
counting with astonishing accuracy and extraordinary 
minuteness the events of the great campaign." 

But while Doniphan and his men were making their way 
from Santa Fe to Chihuahua, a very serious rebellion 
brok* out against American rule in New Mexico and came 
very near putting an end to it. It appears that the rebel- 
lion was headed by ten or twelve New Mexicans who sought 
to turn to their own advantage the deadly hostility of their 
fellow countrymen against the Americans. The plotting 
began about December i, 1846, and the plan was to bring 
about the uprising on December 25.^ But before this 
could be accomplished, Price, who had been left in charge 
of affairs at Santa Fe, had been informed about the matter 
and had prevented the uprising from occurring at that par- 
ticular time. In less than a month, however, the storm 
broke, and Governor Bent and several other government 
officers were murdered at Taos. At the same time similar 
outbreaks occurred at a number of other places in the 
territory. 

^ On that day, it will be recalled, Doniphan won the battle of 
Brazito while on his way to El Paso. 



EXPEDITIONS OF KEARNY AND DONIPHAN 1 65 



On hearing of the uprising at Taos and the murder of 
Bent, Colonel Price set out for that place, and after besieg- 
ing it finally took it on February 4, 1847. By means of 
other engagements the rebellion was suppressed. The 
leaders of the uprising were either killed in battle or 
executed, or they escaped to the mountains. Notwith- 
standing the suppression of the revolt, there was a great 
deal of pillaging committed by marauding bands of Indians 
and Mexicans, and there were several skirmishes between 
them and the American troops, entailing the loss of a con- 
siderable number of the latter. So unsettled were condi- 
tions in New Mexico that Colonel Price asked for additional 
troops, and these were promptly sent him. About the 
middle of August a battalion of infantry and a regiment of 
cavalry, all Missourians, started out from Leavenworth 
for Santa Fe, and early in October five more companies of 
Missouri volunteers were also sent out. In addition to 
these an Illinois regiment of volunteer infantry was raised 
and sent to Santa Fe. 

Meanwhile Price had returned from New Mexico to 
Missouri, bringing his original troops with him. They 
arrived on September 25. Their total loss of men in 
battle and by disease had been 400. Price afterward 
returned and assumed control as general over the 3000 
troops that had been sent into the territory, and was there- 
fore able to preserve order without difficulty.^ 

1 The responsibility for this disastrous uprising on the part of the 
New Mexicans has been laid upon Price. He has been charged with 
unmilitary negligence in failing to keep the surrounding country and 
his own soldiers sufficiently under control. The charge may be 
more or less unfair, but Price was never a strong disciplinarian, 
and the blame for the revolt may rightly rest upon him, in part at 
least. In any case, this revolt caused many people to turn against 
Price. Among these was Colonel Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, 
who had saved the day at Buena Vista (Feb. 22, 1847). From that 
time on Davis expressed profound contempt for Price, and when 
later he became President of the Southern Confederacy, he more 
than once voiced his loathing for Price. More will be said about 
this personal hostility between Price and Davis in a later chapter. 



Return of 
Price to 
New Mexico 



i66 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Significance 
of Doni- 
phan's 
Expedition 



By the Treaty of 1848 Mexico ceded to the United 
States, New Mexico and CaHfornia. In doing this 
Mexico merely gave legal sanction to the conquest of 
these territories that had already been accomplished. As 
far as New Mexico was concerned, the credit for conquer- 
ing that territory belongs largely to Missourians. Mis- 
souri sent 7000 men in all into the war with Mexico, and 
of this number 6000 were employed in the conquest and 
pacification of New Mexico. The only other forces that 
were used in this work were the few regular dragoons in the 
opening weeks of the conquest, and the Illinois regiment 
of volunteers toward its close. It is therefore chiefly to 
the men of Missouri that the Union is indebted for the 
conquest of New Mexico. 



I 



REEERENCES 



Carr, Missouri, ch. x. Hughes, Doniphan's Expedition. This 
book was written by one of Doniphan's men shortly after the expedi- 
tion. It is the most important and valuable source on this sub- 
ject. It was reprinted by the United States Government in 1914. 
Cannelley, Doniphan's Expedition. A reprint of Hughes' account, 
together with the official notes and record of the expedition and an 
appendix including an interview of the author with Doniphan in 
1880 and an address by Major Gilpin. 



CHAPTER IX 
MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 

[Historical Setting. — The War between the United States and 
Mexico.] 

Of all the states in the Middle West no one has played Missouri as 
a more important part in our national affairs than Missouri, a Colonizer 
Very early its history became closely intertwined with that Far West 
of the nation, and twice at least questions pertaining to 
Missouri brought on a great crisis in our national affairs. 
The first of these two crises arose when Missouri sought 
admission into the Union and thus precipitated the first 
great struggle over slavery in the nation's history. Some 
attention has been given to that subject in a former 
chapter. The second of these questions arose at the out- 
break of the Civil War and had to do with the problem of 
whether or not Missouri would remain in the Union. In 
due time that matter will be fully dealt with in this book. 

But the special attention that is usually given to Mis- 
souri's connection with our national affairs in 1820 and 
during the Civil War should not cause us to lose sight of 
the fact that during the period from 1820 to i860 Missouri 
was a very important factor in our national life because 
of the part it played in the development of practically all 
of the region west of the Mississippi, especially in the far 
Southwest and the far Northwest. We have seen in the 
preceding chapter how Missourians had won for the 
nation through conquest the vast stretch of territory in 
the Southwest. But more important than this military 
exploit was the part which Missouri played as a colonizer 

167 



i68 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

of the West during the interval between 1820 and i860. 
In this role it touched very directly the life of Texas, New 
Mexico, California, and Oregon. 

That Missouri became in early days a colonizer of the 
regions that lay to the west of it was due largely to its 
geographical position. In the first place, Missouri was 
the converging point for many of the lines of navigation 
from the Great Lakes and the Alleghenies. The most 
important eastern tributaries of the Mississippi, namely, 
the Illinois and the Ohio, joined the Mississippi opposite 
Missouri, and inasmuch as the early movements of popu- 
lation westward followed these streams, a great number 
of settlers thereby made their way into Missouri. There 
were, of course, many things to attract settlers to Missouri 
which would have drawn them thither in time even if there 
had been no natural ways of approach. But the mere 
fact that the most important tributaries of the Mississippi 
on the east led directly to Missouri gave it an advantage 
over Iowa and Arkansas, and explains why Missouri 
became settled long before they were. For many years 
"Missouri stood as the vanguard of the states, with its 
settlements reaching out into the wilderness of western 
prairies." ^ 

In the second place, the Missouri River and its tribu- 
taries opened the way to the West and the Northwest and 
greatly facilitated the exploration and the settlement of 
those parts of the country. The Missouri River also 
aided in establishing a connection between Missouri and 
the Southwest, for although it had no tributaries from that 
direction, the Santa Fe Trail which led far away into the 
Southwest started from a Missouri River town. 

Because of its geographical position, therefore, Missouri 
was on the great highway between the East and the Far 
West, and this gave the people of Missouri a great oppor- 
tunity to participate directly in the development of the 

1 Arkansas was not admitted into the Union as a state until 1836, 
Iowa not until 1846, and Kansas not until 1861. 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 169 

Far West. It is the purpose of the next few chapters to 
deal with some of the phases of this expansion of Missouri 
into the regions beyond it. 

I. Missouri and the Fur Trade 

Missourians became interested in the Far West primarily Significance 

because of certain attractions which that country afforded 2f * j® F"L 

■' Trade in the 

them. One of the most important of these attractions History of 
and the earliest of them all was the fur trade. It is ^i^soun 
significant that from early times to the present the fur 
trade has been a thriving industry in Missouri. Missouri 
is generally thought of as an agricultural state and, as a 
matter of fact, it has been and is such yet. But it is not 
solely agricultural. From earliest times Missouri has 
ranked high in lead mining and for many years it has been 
the leading state in the production of that metal and also 
of zinc. In recent times Missouri has become more and 
more important in manufacturing and commerce. But 
in the realm of commerce it has long maintained a leading 
position in at least one commodity — furs. St. Louis 
has for some time been one of the chief fur markets of the 
world. It was founded as a fur trading post, and though 
its business grew slowly, it held first place in the fur trade 
of the country during the early and middle parts of the 
nineteenth century. Naturally this brought an immense 
amount of wealth to St. Louis. Indeed it is not too much 
to say that most of the wealth which that city accumu- 
lated up to 1850, at least, was due to the fur trade, and of 
course Missouri shared in the prosperity of its most im- 
portant city. It is fitting, therefore, that some account 
should be given here of the fur trade in Missouri, especially 
in the early period, not only because of its prominence 
as an industry in the State, but also because of the con- 
nection it helped to establish between Missouri and the 
Far West. 

Early industrial conditions in Missouri were well suited 
to the development of the fur trade. Fur-bearing animals 



170 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Early Fur 
Trade in 
Missouri 

I. Furs as 
Media of 
Exchange 



2. Grant to 
Maxent, 
Laclede and 
Company 



3. Individ- 
ual Traders 



were numerous not only in Missouri but also in the tribu- 
tary regions, and the pioneer, who was naturally fond of 
hunting, was irresistibly drawn into the traffic either as a 
trapper or as a trader. Moreover, furs were very valuable, 
and since money was not very plentiful and barter fre- 
quently had to be resorted to, furs were readily used as 
media of exchange, as has already been mentioned. For 
a long time values were expressed in Missouri in terms of 
furs, just as in Virginia in colonial times they were ex- 
pressed in terms of tobacco. 

We have already seen that St. Louis was founded in 
1764 by Maxent, Laclede and Company for the purpose 
of carrying on the fur trade with the Indians along the 
Missouri, a complete monopoly of which was granted to 
this firm by the French governor of New Orleans for a 
period of at least eight years. For some time after 1764 
the Indians brought their furs to this post, and it was not 
necessary for the traders to take their goods and wares 
to the Indians and offer them in exchange for the furs that 
had been collected. But it was soon found that this 
method was inadequate. The Indians did not bring in as 
many peltries as were wanted, and hence the traders began 
to visit the Indian villages, going in groups of two, 
three, and four. Sometimes these traders paddled their 
canoes upstream and sometimes they struck out across 
the country with their packs of goods upon their backs. 

The fur trade was carried on in Missouri during the 
French and Spanish periods chiefly by individual traders 
and not by large companies. It is true that St. Louis was 
founded by a fur trading company, but Maxent was the 
only responsible member of the firm and Laclede was noth- 
ing more than a local manager. Maxent, Laclede and 
Company was after all an individual enterprise. There 
was, however, at least one attempt during this period 
to create a large company for the purpose of developing the 
fur trade beyond all former limits. In 1794 Governor 
Trudeau got nine or ten of the leading traders in the 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 



171 



Missouri country together in St. Louis and proposed to 
them that they should form a large company. His pro- 
posal was acted upon favorably, and the Commercial 
Company for the Discovery of the Nations of the Upper 
Missouri, more commonly called the Missouri Trading Com- 
pany, was formed. " This was the first attempt to exploit 
the fur trade in the form of a compact organization." 

In 1802 another company under the title of Manuel Lisa, 
Benoit and Company was formed by four merchants who 
were engaged in the fur trade on the Missouri River. 
Most prominent among them, as the name of the company 
would suggest, was Manuel Lisa, of whom we shall hear 
more very shortly. 

But neither the Missouri Trading Company nor Lisa's 
company was very successful, and until after the Louisiana 
Purchase it was found that the conduct of the fur business 
by individuals was generally better suited to the industrial 
conditions of the time than by companies. 

During the French and Spanish periods of Missouri's 
history , trading in furs by those who operated from Missouri q ^gratbn 
was confined for the most part to the lower Missouri and 
its tributaries, chiefly the Osage and the Gasconade, and 
to the Mississippi between the Des Moines and the Arkan- 
sas rivers. From the region east of the Mississippi and 
from the upper course of that river, the traders from the 
Missouri country were excluded by the powers that held 
those regions. 

The time came, however, when the field was greatly New Era in 
enlarged for the traders operating from Missouri. In 
1804-06 Lewis and Clark made their famous expedition 
up the Missouri and down the Columbia to the Pacific, and 
in 1806 P.ike made his almost equally famous expedition 
to the Rockies. The men brought back reports of the 
richness of the country they had explored in fur-bearing 
animals, and immediately traders began to make their 
way to these regions. Later the Sante Fe Trail was laid 
out and the country to the southwest began to yield rich 



4. Restricted 
Fields of 



the Fur 
Trade of 
Missouri 



172 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. Enlarge- 
ment of Field 
of Operation 



2. Creation 
of Large Fur 
Companies 



Missouri 
Fur Com- 
pany, or 
Manuel Lisa 
and 
Company 



returns in furs. It was decidedly fortunate for the 
Missouri traders that these new regions were opened up, 
for the constant hunting and trapping that had been 
going on in the restricted area in which they had been 
operating prior to 1804 had done a great deal toward 
killing ofi^ the fur-bearing animals in that section, and it 
was necessary that new fields should be found if this 
industry was to continue. This necessity was met by the 
expeditions of Lewis and Clark and of Pike, and as a result 
the period of forty years following these expeditions was 
marked by a greater activity in the fur trade in Missouri 
than had ever been known before. 

This increase in the activity of the fur trade in Missouri 
was due not only to the new fields that were opened up, but 
also to the important changes that were made in the 
organization of the fur trade itself. Although individual 
traders continued throughout this period to operate within 
the field west of the Mississippi River, large companies 
were organized in St. Louis after 1808, and these con- 
ducted the fur trade on a much broader scale than had 
been possible when the traffic in St. Louis had been in 
the hands of individual traders. The activity of certain 
British fur companies, such as the Hudson's Bay Company 
and the Northwest Company of Montreal, had much to 
do with bringing about the fonnation of large companies in 
Missouri. These British companies were in operation 
not only in the vast territory of Canada, but also in a con- 
siderable portion of what is now the United States. It is 
a significant fact that a "large part of the trade of the 
country tributary to St. Louis was at that time in the hands 
of foreigners," and it was felt that individual trading on 
the part of Americans was inadequate to meet the compe- 
tition of these large companies. 

One of the earliest of the American companies to be 
fonned with St. Louis as a base of operations was the 
Missouri Fur Company. The leader in this company was 
Manuel Lisa, one of the most interesting characters in the 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 1 73 

early history of Missouri. He was born of Spanish parents, 
probably in New Orleans, and in 1790 came as a young 
man to vSt. Louis, where he soon established himself in the 
fur trade. He realized the importance of the infonnation 
that had been brought back by Lewis and Clark concern- 
ing the resources of the country which they had explored, 
and he decided to take immediate advantage of the situa- 
tion in so far as was possible. He organized an expedition i. Opera- 
to ascend the Missouri and to establish posts among the th "upper^ 
Indians living along its upper course. After his return to Missouri 
St. Louis in 1808, he was the moving spirit in the reorgan- 
ization of the Missouri Fur Company. For nearly 
twenty-five years thereafter this company operated along 
the upper Missouri River, but it was far from being a 
success financially. Its first expedition in 1809 turned 
out disastrously, owing to the hostility of the Blackfeet 
Indians living in the region of the Three Forks of the 
Missouri, with whom no sort of an agreement could be 
made. This disaster led to a reorganization of the com- 
pany in 1812, and Lisa became the principal member. 
In fact, from this time to his death in 1820 the company 
was commonly spoken of as " Manuel Lisa and Company." 
The War of 18 12 interfered ^vith its work, but after the 
war was over business revived and the company appeared 
to be prosperous. Disasters, however, overtook it after 
Lisa's death and in the early thirties it became extinct. 
It was nevertheless "the most important company that 
did business from St. Louis in the first quarter of the 
nineteenth century." 

Whatever success the Missouri Fur Company enjoyed 2. Manuel 
was largely due to Manuel Lisa. He found that the ^'^'^ 
explanation for the failure of the early fur trade ventures, 
including those that had been undertaken by the Mis- 
souri Trading Company, which Trudeau had been in- 
stnimental in organizing, lay in the fact that prepara- 
tions had been carried on by small parties working from 
temporary trading posts. Lisa decided to erect at suit- 



174 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



able places along the Missouri River fairly substantial 
forts and factories which would furnish him and his men 
adequate protection against the Indians and also per- 
manent headquarters for the operations of his company. 
This new method at once demonstrated its superiority 
over the older methods, and whenever Lisa had complete 

control of his company he 
generally succeeded in the 
expedition he conducted. 

Lisa was a man of un- 
limited energy and of aston- 
ishing endurance. During 
the last thirteen years 
of his life he made at 
least twelve different trips 
up the Missouri, no one of 
which was less than 670 
miles long. " He never 
shrank from any toil that 
occasion demanded, and a 
finer example of persistent 
effort throughout a lifetime 
can scarcely be pointed 
out." 

Lisa was not only a man 
of great physical energy and 
activity, but was also a "master of the art of conciliat- 
ing the good will of the Indians," as much so at least as 
any trader who ever ascended the Missouri River. "He 
knew when to be gentle and when severe, and could 
adroitly mingle with his protestations of friendship dem- 
onstrations of ability to defend himself. While smok- 
ing the pipe of peace, he did not conceal the muskets of 
his followers nor the more formidable swivel upon the 
boat. He knew the indispensable function of presents, 
and he was never niggardly in this respect when par- 
simony might mean ruin. In short, he understood all 




M.-VNUTL Lisa 

The most noted of the early fur 
traders in Missouri. From Stevens' 
Missouri, the Center State, by per- 
mission of the Missouri Historical 
Society. 



tionsin the 
Rockies 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 175 

the secret springs which actuate the savage mind, and 
with marvelous dexterity he played upon them so as 
always to avert catastrophe." Although married, he 
took unto himself a wife from the Omaha tribe in 
order that he might ingratiate himself all the more in 
their good will.^ 

Meanwhile, the regions southwest and west of Mis- Rocky 
souri w^ere beginning to be developed by fur traders p^^'^'^ ^" 
operating from St. Louis. For some time it had been Company 
known that the Rio Grande country was rich in beavers, 
but it was not until the opening of the Santa Fe trade 
about 182 1 that St. Louis fur traders found an oppor- 
tunity for exploiting this region on a large scale. There- 
after, however, large quantities of furs were brought 
from Santa Fe by traders on their return trip to St. Louis. 

The region directly west of the Missouri, which lay i- Opera 
between the far Northwest and the far Southwest, 
was developed by the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. 
This company was organized in 1822 for the purpose of 
operating as a competitor of the Missouri Fur Company 
in the upper Missouri River region. But, owing to dis- 
asters which overtook its efforts in 1822 and 1823, it 
gave up the Missouri River trade altogether, and in 1824 
it began operating in the Rockies. An expedition was 
sent up to the source of the Platte River, and from thence 
it moved across the mountains to Green River and Salt 
Lake. It returned to St. Louis by way of the Yellowstone 
and the Missouri rivers, reaching St. Louis in October, 
1825. The brilliant success of this expedition aroused 

1 It was because of his great influence with the Indians that the 
United States Government gave Lisa the task of holding the tribes 
on the Upper Missouri to the side of the United States in the War 
of 1812. He was successful in this task beyond all expectations. 
He not only organized Indian expeditions against some of the tribes 
on the Mississippi River that were allies of the British, but he was 
also instrumental in getting nearly all the upper Missouri River 
tribes to make treaties of friendship and alliance with the United 
States at the close of the war. 



176 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. General 

William 

Ashley 



(a) Early 
Career 



(b) The 
Annual 
Rendezvous 



everyone interested in the fur trade, especially the Amer- 
ican Fur Company, which had established itself a year 
or two before at St. Louis for the purpose of entering the 
fields tributary to that point. 

The moving spirit in the Rocky Mountain Company 
was General William Ashley. He was a Virginian by 
birth and had come to St. Louis in 1802, where during the 
next four years he was engaged in a number of different 
ventures, including the real estate business, the manu- 
facture of powder, lead mining, and banking. He took 
an active part in developing the State militia, and by 
1822 had been put at its head with the title of general. 
He also became very much interested in politics and was 
the first elected lieutenant governor of the newly created 
State of Missouri in 1820. In 1822 he joined himself 
with others in forming the Rocky Mountain Company, 
and in the next five years he went out on four different 
expeditions, most of which were very successful and 
remunerative. 

To Ashley belongs the credit for substituting the annual 
rendezvous for the established post. It has already 
been noted that Lisa had in his time been responsible 
for the creation of the permanent trading posts along the 
route that he was accustomed to travel on his expedi- 
tions. To these posts the Indians used to take their 
peltries for sale, and from these posts the hired trappers 
were sent out to operate. This system broke down be- 
cause it required, first of all, that the company maintain- 
ing the posts should keep up its stock of goods used in 
trading, and second, that the company should maintain 
adequate means of defense at each post. Ashley decided 
that the thing to do was "to use white men for the work 
of trapping and to substitute the annual rendezvous for 
the established post." In other words, the trapper was 
to supplant the trader. Once a year the trappers operat- 
ing in a given district were to gather at a certain place 
and turn in the catch which they had made during the 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 177 

year. The company would gather up these catches on 
its way downstream and dispose of them at St. Louis. 
Ashley was not the real inventor of this scheme, as it 
had been used by the Hudson's Bay Company and even 
by the American Fur Company in 182 1 and 1822. But 
he developed it on a large scale, and for that reason special 
mention should be made of his part in getting it generally 
established. 

Under Ashley a new method of transportation in the (c) The Pack 
fur trade was inaugurated. As long as the fur trader 
confined himself to the upper Missouri River he made his 
way by boat, employing the keel boat, the mackinaw, and 
the bull boat. The route which Ashley's company took 
to the west was not along navigable rivers and hence 
they could not make use of the usual means of trans- 
portation. The Platte River has been described as a river 
one thousand miles long and six inches deep. It was not 
navigable even for the boats that drew the lightest draft, 
but it could be followed by horse and mule pack trains, 
and that was the method used by Ashley in his famous 
trip of 1824. 

By 1830 Ashley had amassed a considerable fortune (d) Ashley 
and soon thereafter retired from the Rocky Mountain '" °'*'" 
Fur Company to devote himself to politics. From 183 1 
to 1837 he served in Congress, where on account of his 
wide knowledge of the western country he was able to 
exercise considerable influence. At the time of his death 
in 1838 he was probably, next to Benton, the best known 
and most influential man in Missouri. 

Although the Rocky Mountain Fur Company was in 3- impor- 
operation only twelve years, it accomplished much that ^"^^y *" ^ 
was of very great importance in the history of the West. Mountain 
"In pushing out to the Rockies, it opened a new field for p^^yin^he 
the fur trade, which proved to be one of the most fruitful Development 
in the West, and it contributed greatly to the geograph- ° ^ ^ ^^ 
ical knowledge of the country. The whole country 
around the sources of the Platte, the Green, the Yellow- 



178 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



American 

Fur 

Company 

I. John 
Jacob Astor 



stone, and the Snake rivers, and in the region around 
Great Salt Lake was opened up by it. It discovered 
Great Salt Lake and also South Pass. It was the first 
to travel from Great Salt Lake southwesterly to southern 
California, the first to cross the Sierras and the deserts 
of Utah and Nevada between California and Great Salt 
Lake, and the first, so far as is known, to travel by land up 
the Pacific coast from San Francisco to the Columbia. 

"But perhaps the most important service which the 
company rendered to the country was as a school for the 
education of those who were later to assist the Govern- 
ment in the explorations of the West. It was to old 
members and employees of the Rocky Mountain Fur 
Company that the Government looked mainly for its 
guides when it entered these regions for the first time." 

One other company operating from St. Louis requires 
our attention here, and that is the American Fur Com- 
pany. It had been organized in 1808 by John Jacob 
Astor, a native of Germany, who had come to America 
in 1783 with some musical instruments to sell. Shortly 
after arriving he went to New York and soon became 
the greatest fur merchant in this country. The Lewis 
and Clark expedition revealed to him the vast possi- 
bilities of the fur trade in the far Northwest, and he pre- 
pared to extend his operations, which were already exten- 
sive, into that region. He therefore secured in 1808 a 
charter from the State of New York for the American 
Fur Company and proceeded to enter this new field. ^ 

Into the history of the founding of Astoria at the mouth 
of the Columbia, and its disastrous end on account of the 
War of 18 1 2, we cannot go here. It was this same com- 
pany, however, still under the direction of Astor, that 
opened up an establishment in St. Louis in 1822, in serious 



1 As far as this company operated in the far Northwest, it was 
known as the Pacific Fur Company. The term " American Fur 
Company" was used to inchide all of the different fur trading ac- 
tivities of Astor. 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 



179 



opposition to the traders there. Owing to this bitter 2. Monopoly 
opposition, Astor decided that the best thing to do was 
to crush out as many of his rivals as he could and to buy 
up the rest and consolidate them with the American Fur 
Company ; and in the course of the next ten or twelve 
years this was what he did. As a result, the American 
Fur Company came to be a great monopoly operating in a 
vast territory west of the Mississippi, and because of its 




Headquarters of the American Fur Company at St. Louis, 1835 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center Stale, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 

methods and practices it was most bitterly hated by every 
trapper in that region. 

In 1834 Astor retired from the American Fur Company, 3- Pratte, 
and the western department of the company was sold to ^^^ 
Pratte, Chouteau and Company, a firm made up of St. Company 
Louis traders. Although there were other concerns in 
the same field, this firm continued to control a large 
part of the western fur business until its retirement 
about i860. 

But some time before i860 the fur trade at St. Louis Decline of 
had begun to decline. The demand for beaver was no p^^ Trade *^ 
longer so great, owing to the use that was being made by i860 
of silk in the making of hats. Moreover, the more 
valuable fur-bearing animals were being exterminated 
in the field of the St. Louis traders, and the trade was 



i8o 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Revival 
since 1890 



I. New 
Methods 



2. Auction 
Sales 




diverted from St. Louis to other cities more conveniently 
located as places of collection and transshipment. 

No record of the vokune of the fur business at St. 
Louis prior to 1869 was kept, but it has been estimated 
that the average annual value of the furs brought to 

that city from 1808 to 1847 
was between $200,000 and 
$300,000. 

Between i860 and 1890 
the fur trade at St. Louis 
was at a standstill, but 
since 1890 it has mounted 
up again very rapidly. In 
1897 the fur trade amounted 
to about $1,000,000 ; in 1901, 
$4,000,000; and in 1917, 
$17,000,000. 

This revival has been due 
largely to the new methods 
that have been employed in 
exploiting the fur resources 
of the country. For some 
time the six or seven large fur 
firms in St. Louis have been issuing hundreds of thou- 
sands of price lists every season and sending them out to 
all parts of the country. In this way they solicit directly 
from the trapper and the local trader the furs which they 
have to sell. As a result, furs are shipped from practically 
every village and town in the United States directly to 
these finns in St. Louis. 

But the most important factor in the extraordinary 
growth of the fur trade in the last few years has been the 
auction sales inaugurated in 1913 by Funsten Brothers 
and Company, an old established fur firm in St. Louis. 
In addition to buying furs and selling them from day to 
day or week to week as other firms in the city are doing, 
they have been acting for the past three or four years as 



Pierre Chouteau 

Grandson of Laclede, the founder 
of St. Louis, and prominent in the 
fur trade of St. Louis in the thirties 
and forties. From Houck's History 
of Missouri. 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST l8l 

brokers, receiving furs from shippers and selling^ them 
on commission for these shippers at great open auction 
sales held three times a year. All furs thus put up for 
sale go to the highest bidder without the slightest col- 
lusion in the fixing of prices. The three auction sales of 
this company for 19 17 aggregated more than $10,000,000, 
the one in January running over $3,000,000, that in 
April over $4,000,000, and that in October reaching 
$3,375,000. These sales, together with those made by 
this firm and others from day to day, ran the simi total 
of the fur sales for St. Louis for 191 7 up to more than 
$17,000,000. 

Through this recent revival and development of the 3- St. Louis, 
fur trade, St Louis has not only been restored to its QtyofThe 
primacy among the fur markets of this country, but it World" 
has also won for itself the title of the "Fur City of the 
World." The shutting up of the great fur market at 
Leipsic, Germany, and the cutting down of the sales 
of the fur market at London on account of the present 
war, have contributed greatly toward making St. Louis 
the greatest fur center in the world. Whether the re- 
sumption of peace will materially affect its newly acquired 
position remains to be seen. The fur dealers of that place 
are nevertheless confident that the city will be able to 
retain its primacy. 

2. Steamboat Traffic on the Missouri River 
The development of the fur trade in Missouri in the Early 
thirties and forties on so large a scale as has just been River Trans- 
described was made possible by the great improvements portation 
in the means of river transportation that occurred during 
that period, the most important of which was the steam- 
boat. 

Prior to the advent of the steamboat all river trans- i. Canoe 
portation was by means of the canoe, the mackinaw, the 
bull boat, and the keel boat. The canoe was the simplest 
of all the river craft. It was a dugout, usually being 



I»2 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI » 



2. Macki- 
naw 



hollowed out of a cottonwood log. It was from fifteen 
to eighteen feet long and was generally manned by three 

men, one to 
steer and two 
to paddle. It 
was used 
chiefly for 
local busi- 
ness, though 
occasionally 
employed for 
long trips. 

The mackinaw was a flat boat built entirely of timber. 
It was pointed at both ends and was sometimes from forty 
to fifty feet long. Its crew consisted of five men — one 
steersman and four oarsmen. This boat was generally 
used in downstream navigation, and when it reached its 
destination it was usually sold for lumber. • 




Flat Boat 




Bull Boats 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center State, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 

3. Bull Boat The bull boat was made of buffalo bull hides sewed 
together and stretched over a frame of poles, and was from 
twelve to thirty feet long. Because of its light draft, it 
was adapted to shallow streams. It was propelled by 
means of poles and required only two men to handle it. 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 183 

The keel boat was from sixty to seventy feet long, with 4- Keel Boat 
a keel running from bow to stern, and was the latest im- 
provement in river transportation facilities prior to the 
steamboat. On account of its size it was capable of 
carrying a larger cargo than the other boats that have been 
described. It was usually propelled by means of a cor- 
delle. This consisted of a line nearly 1000 feet long, one 
end of which was fastened to the top of a thirty-foot mast 
in the center of the boat. The other end of this line was 
in the hands of from twenty to thirty men on the shore, 

' /- V/- > 
















Keel Boat with Cordelle, Sail, and Poles 

As used by pioneer Missourians. From Stevens' Missouri, the Center Stale, 
by permission of the Missouri Historical Society. 

who by pulling moved the boat upstream. Cordelling 
was always more or less difficult and in places it was ab- 
solutely impossible. At such points poles or oars were 
used. Sails were also used at times very effectively. 
Notwithstanding the difficulty with which this boat was 
propelled, it was employed more extensively than any 
other kind for long distance voyages upstream prior to 
the invention of the steamboat, and in fact it continued 
to be used along with the steamboat for many years 
after the latter appeared. The average day's voyage 
for the keel boat was from twelve to fifteen miles. 



1 84 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Steamboat 
on the Mis- 
souri River 

I. First 
Appearance 



The steamboat made its first appearance in the West in 
1 8 1 1 , when one was lamiched in the Ohio River at Pitts- 
burgh. Six years later it made its way up the Mississippi 
to St. Louis, and in 1819 it reached Franklin, Howard 
County, on the Missouri. But, owing to the peculiari- 
ties of the Missouri River, rnost people were extremely 
doubtful for some time as to whether the steamboat 
could be used with any degree of success on that stream. 
The voyage of 18 19 was not an unqualified success, 
although it demonstrated that steamboat navigation of 
the Missouri was a possibility. Not until 1831, however, 




Pioneer Steamboat on the Missouri 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center Slate, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 



2. The 
Yellowstone 



was it definitely proved that long trips up the Missouri 
could be made with comparative safety. In that year 
the American Fur Company sent a steamboat, called the 
Yellowstone, far up the Missouri River, and although 
this boat did not reach the Yellowstone River, as was 
intended, the company was satisfied with the experiment 
and therefore decided to discard the keel boat service on 
the Missouri, and to use the steamboat in its place. 

The first Yellowstone is a good example of the early 
river steamboats. It was 130 feet long, with a beam of 
19 feet and a hold of six feet. It was propelled by side 
wheels and had only one engine. Later steamboats were 
propelled by one wheel at the stern instead of two at the 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 1 85 

sides. The freight storage was in the hold, but boilers, 
engine, and cabins were above the main deck. The 
only fuel that was burned was wood, and for a time this 
was cut by the crew as the boat proceeded on her voyage. 
Later, as trips became more regular, wood yards were 
established at various points along the river. Early steam- 
boats ran only in the daytime, unless there was bright 
moonlight at night. The danger from snags and bars 
was always very great, and particularly so at night. The 
pilot was by far the most important member of the 
crew. 

It is obvious that the steamboat not only contributed 
to the development of the fur trade of Missouri, but also 
afforded a means of establishing close connections be- 
tween Missouri and the Northwest in other ways, and of 
extending Missouri's influence in that region. 

Within thirty years after the Yellowstone made its 3. Disap- 
trip to the upper course of the Missouri River, the steam- pearance 

^ ^^ . from the 

boat traffic on that stream began to decline. The cause Missouri 
for this decline was the rapid development of the rail- ^'^^'' 
roads west of the Missouri. The struggle between the 
railroad and the steamboat on the Missouri began with 
the completion of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in 
1859 and of the Missouri Pacific from St. Louis to Kansas 
City in 1866. These two roads touched the Missouri 
River at two points in western Missouri, and although 
they did not take away from the steamboats the upper 
Missouri River traffic, they affected from the first the 
traffic along the lower course, especially below St. Joseph. 
Between 1866 and 1887 numerous other railroads running 
east and west were built out to the Missouri River north 
of the Hannibal and St. Joseph. Among these roads 
were the Chicago and Northwestern, the Sioux City 
and Pacific, the Union Pacific, the Northern Pacific, and 
the Great Northern. As point after point was taken by 
the railroads along the Missouri River, the steamboat 
became less and less important, and finally it disappeared 



1 86 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

after the Great Northern entered Helena, Montana, in 



t 



4. Reap- In recent years, however, the steamboat has reappeared 

in Recent °^ ^^^ Missouri River, thanks to the effort of certain 
Years enterprising business men of Kansas City. In 191 2 these 

men induced Congress to resume its appropriations for 
the improvement of the Missouri River from Kansas 
City to its mouth. The plan that is being followed con- 
templates a permanent channel of six feet minimum 
depth, at a cost of $20,000,000, but this plan was not 
adopted by Congress until Kansas City had raised by 
popular subscription the sum of $1,200,000 and had begun 
freight service on the river with a fleet of modern boats 
and barges, and had erected well-equipped terminals at 
Kansas City and St. Louis. Congress has already ap- 
propriated (1918) nearly $8,000,000 of the $20,000,000 
contemplated, and 75 miles of the permanent channel 
have already been built. 

The Kansas City Missouri Navigation Company, 
organized in 1910, with a capital of more than $1,000,000, 
has been maintaining regular service each week between 
Kansas City and St. Louis with a fleet of two modern 
tow boats and nine barges. There is also a small line 
of boats operating between Omaha and Decatur, and 
another small line in the vicinity of Bismarck, North 
Dakota. 

The steamboat is still in use on the Mississippi River, 
but not on so large a scale as in earlier days. Here, too, 
the railroad has cut down the river traffic, but not to the 
same extent that it has on the Missouri River. 

1 The following steamboat arrivals by years at Fort Benton, 
Montana, are suggestive as to the influence of the railroads on the 
steamboat traffic on the Missouri River. In 1859 one steamboat 
arrived at Fort Benton; in 1865, 8; in 1869, 24; in 1874, 6; in 
1878, 46; in 1883, 21; in 1888, 3. The increase in the number 
of arrivals in 1878 is interesting, but thereafter the steamboat 
traffic on the upper Missouri tended on the whole to decrease until 
it stopped altogether after 1888. 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 



187 



3. The Santa Fe and Oregon Trails 

Contemporaneous with the steamboat and to some 
extent even before it, other connections between Missouri 
and the Far West were estabHshed by means of overland 
routes which made it possible for Missouri to influence 
still further the development of the regions that lay beyond 
her. The most important of these overland routes were 
the Santa Fe and the Oregon trails. Both started from 
Independence, Missouri, the one extending in a south- 
westerly direction to Santa Fe for a distance of 775 miles, 




The Over- 
land Routes 



The Principal Western Trails 



and the other in a westerly and northwesterly direction 

to Fort Vancouver near the mouth of the Columbia River, 

for a distance of 2020 miles. Along these two trails 

traders and trappers passed back and forth in the pursuit 

of their traffic, and in the course of time colonists from 

Missouri and from states east of Missouri made their 

way along these great highways to distant regions in the 

Far West. 

"To William Becknell of Missouri belongs the honor Early Santa 

of being the founder of the Santa Fe trade and the father ^® Expedi- 

tions 
of the Santa Fe Trail. " This high honor has been awarded 

him because he was the first to take a successful trading 

expedition to Santa Fe. This he did in 1821-22. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. Santa Fe 



2. First 
Expedition 



3. Vial's 
Journey, 
1792-93 



But long before Becknell's successful expedition, men 
had been passing back and forth between the Missouri 
River and Santa Fe in various kinds of enterprises. Santa 
Fe had been founded by the Spanish some time between 
1609 and 16 1 7 and is therefore one of the oldest towns 
in the United States. It is beautifully situated on a 
small tributary of the Rio Grande,, twelve miles east 
of that river, and it probably did not contain more 
than 3000 inhabitants during the period of its most 
prosperous trade with the United States. Besides 
Santa Fe there were other little towns along the 
Rio Grande for several hundred miles north and south 
of Santa Fe, the population of which was densely ignorant 
and very backward in all forms of industry. Notwith- 
standing the conditions that prevailed in New Mexico, 
Santa Fe was deemed a good market for the commodities 
that traders from Missouri had to sell, and also a good 
center from which to obtain furs, horses, mules, and 
especially specie ; ^ hence the rise of the Santa Fe trade 
and the building of the Santa Fe Trail. 

The first known expedition from the upper Mississippi 
country to the neighborhood of Santa Fe for trading pur- 
poses occurred shortly before 1763. Some French traders 
took a lot of merchandise by way of the Arkansas River 
to a point in the Mexico Mountains, probably near the 
site of the present town of Pueblo, Colorado, and there, 
erecting a temporary store, they opened up a trade with 
the Indians and the Spaniards of New Mexico. 

It would seem that during the period of the Spanish 
regime in Upper Louisiana there would have been some 
effort to establish trade relations between Santa Fe and 
the settlements in the Missouri country, inasmuch as 
they were both under Spanish control. But none was 
made so far as we know. It is true that in 1792-93 
Pedro Vial was sent by the Spanish authorities in New 

' Prior to the establishing of the Santa F6 Trail, foreio;n goods 
were brought into New Mexico from far distant Vera Cruz. 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 189 

MeKico to open up a direct route between Santa Fe and 
St. Louis, and that in making his way to St. Louis he went 
along substantially the same route that afterward became 
celebrated as the Santa Fe Trail. But no commercial 
relations arose between the two cities as the result of 
Vial's journey. 

Between the purchase of Louisiana in 1803 and the 4- imprison- 
independence of Mexico from Spain in 182 1, there were ^^"^rkan 
several attempts to establish commerc'al relations between Traders in 
Missouri and Santa Fe. But practically every American ^^^'^^ 
trader who sought to establish such relations was put 
in prison by the Spanish authorities and kept there. 
"The Spanish authorities dared not let the prisoners 
return to their American homes because it was recognized 
that the knowledge carried back with them would en- 
courage many future expeditions resulting in American 
expansion southwestward and American control of the 
intervening tribes of Indians." 

It was during this period of nearly twenty years (1803- 5. Pike's 
21) that Pike made his famous semi-official expedition ^4^^^^^!^'°"' 
to the Southwest in 1806-07. He was ordered to visit 
certain Indian tribes in the western and southwestern 
parts of the newly acquired territory of Louisiana, and he 
may have had unwritten orders to go to Santa Fe. At 
any rate he proceeded as far as the Rio Grande and on the 
west bank of that river he built a redoubt, over which he 
raised an American flag. For this he was arrested by 
the Spanish authorities and taken to Santa Fe and later 
to Chihuahua. It is declared by some that he had done 
this in order that he might get into Santa Fe and find 
out what the conditions were there. ^ 

After his return to the United States in 1807, Pike 
wrote and published an account of his journey. This 

^ It is rather significant that at the same time that Pike was 
carrying on his expedition into Spanish New Mexico, Malgores 
was conducting a similar expedition from Santa F^ into the United 
States in behalf of Spain. 



1806-07 



I go 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



6. Mexican 
Revolution, 
1821 



account "showed how possible was the route from I^is- 
souri to the Spanish settlements and became the inspira- 
tion of many of the later traders." 

Several Americans attempted in the next few years 
to get into Santa Fe with their wares, but they were 
imprisoned just as others before them had been. In 182 1 , 
however, a change came over the situation because of 
the success of the Mexican revolution against Spain in 
that year. "Mexican independence meant at least a 
partial reversal of the former Spanish policy of exclu- 
siveness and suspicious intolerance of foreigners," and 




A Missouri Pack Train on its Way to Santa Fe, 1820 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center Stale, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 



Becknell's 

Expeditions, 

1821-22 



under these conditions it was then deemed possible to 
estabUsh commercial relations between the United States 
and New Mexico, something that had hitherto been 
impossible. 

That, at least, was the view of William Becknell of Mis- 
souri, who started from his home in Franklin, Howard 
County, in September, 182 1, with between twenty and 
thirty associates, for Santa Fe. He had advertised the 
proposed expedition in the Missouri Intelligencer for June 
25, 182 1, in the form of " An Article for the government of 
a Company of men destined westward for the purpose of 
trading for horses and mules and catching wild animals 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 191 

of every description." It would seem from this and other 
evidence that he planned originally both a trading and 
a trapping expedition. He and his fellow adventurers 
disposed of the merchandise which they had brought 
with them at "a handsome profit" and returned home in 
January, 1822. 

About a month after Becknell's expedition set out, 
another one was undertaken under the direction of Major 
Fowler of Kentucky and Hugh Glenn of Cincinnati, 
who started from Glenn's trading post in what is now 
Oklahoma. During the following year, 1822, three dif- 
ferent parties left Missouri for Santa Fe, one of which 
was conducted by Becknell himself. This second journey 
of Becknell was of historic importance for two reasons : 
first, the route that was followed was somewhat more 
direct than the one taken the year before ; and second, 
wagons were made use of in the Santa Fe trade for the 
first time. Soon thereafter caravans passed regularly 
every year along the trail from Missouri to Santa Fe. 
It was because of the financial success of Becknell's second 
expedition, and because of the route he followed- and the 
use he made of wagons, that he has been given the honor 
of being called " the founder of the Santa Fe trade and 
the father of the Santa Fe Trail." 

Although the Santa Fe trade developed very rapidly Difficulties 
after 1822, it was beset by two very serious difBculties : 1° Deveiop- 

. ing the 

first, attacks upon the caravans by the Indians ; second, santa Fe 
exorbitant tariffs and indefinite customs regulations im- Trade 
posed upon traders by Mexico. 

The Indian attacks upon the caravans were very annoy- i. Indian 
ing and were sometimes very serious. Generally the ^"'^'^'^^ 
Indians attempted nothing more than stampeding and 
driving off the horses and mules that belonged to the 
caravans ; but occasionally they attacked and killed the 
traders themselves. The only authority to which the 
traders could appeal for protection was the United States 
Government ; but in spite of the interest that Senator 



192 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(a) Appeal 
to the 
United 
States Gov- 
ernment for 
Protection 



Benton took in the matter, practically nothing was done 
by Congress to provide the protection that was needed. 
It is true that in 1829 four companies of unmounted 
infantry were ordered by President Jackson to accompany 
the Santa Fe traders as far as the boundaries of New 
Mexico, and in 1834 and 1843 troops escorted the traders 
in a similar manner. But in each instance the military 
escort was powerless to assist the traders against the 
Indians from the boundaries of New Mexico to Santa 
Fe. The traders, meanwhile, finally learned that the 







mfJM 




An Overland Train on its Way from Missouri to the 
Far West 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center State, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 



(6) Organi- 
zation of the 
Caravans 



only way in which adequate protection could be secured 
was by banding together in one strong caravan and form- 
ing an effective semi-military organization of their own. 
By so doing they were able to ward off the attacks of the 
Indians, and after 1832 the attention of Congress was 
seldom called to the dangers that confronted the Santa 
Fe traders. 

The organization of the caravans for protection against 
the Indians was usually effected at Council Grove, a 
point about 150 miles west of Independence. Here the 
men making up the expedition came together and elected 
a captain, two lieutenants, a marshal, a clerk, a pilot, 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 



193 



a court of three members, a commander of the guards, 
and a chaplain. The authority of the captain was very 
slight, his functions being limited to fixing the hours of 
starting and stopping, and the location of the camp. 
" There was a notable absence of anything like discipline 
except in the matter of guards. Guard duty was relent- 
lessly enforced, and no members of the party except officers 
and invalids were exempt." Notwithstanding this lack 
of authority on the part of the officers, and notwithstand- 
ing the great variety in the military equipment of the 



^4^*^Jsll;&/^ J 





Arrival of an Overland Train at Santa Fe 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center Stale, by pennission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 



traders, the caravan was generally able to protect itself 
against attacks. 

The caravan made a very picturesque scene as it moved 
along the trail. The wagons had deep beds with sides 
that sloped outward toward the top, and with heavy 
canvas covers stretched over bows that extended from 
one side of the bed to the other. In the early days of 
the traffic along the trail, each wagon had a capacity of 
about a ton and a half and was drawn by eight mules or 
the same number of oxen. Later, wagons with nearly 
double the capacity of the first ones were used and were 
drawn by ten or twelve mules or oxen. These wagons 
were significantly called " prairie schooners." Mules were 



194 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Mexican 
Tariffs and 
Customs 
Regulations 



used before oxen; but in 1829 it was found that oxen 
were somewhat better adapted to the work and after that 
time were more generally used than mules. ^ 

But, as has been said, the traders were not only beset 
by Indian dangers ; they were also harassed by the high 
tariffs and uncertain and changing customs regulations 
of the Mexicans. Complaints came frequently from the 
traders about the heavy duties that were imposed upon 
them by the Mexicans, and sometimes it was reported 
that certain articles were altogether prohibited from being 
brought into the country by the traders. Moreover, 
there was great uncertainty in these matters ; the tariff 
schedules and the customs regulations of one year might 
be changed without warning the following year, and the 
traders never knew what to expect from the Mexican 
officials. Besides this, as the demand in Santa Fe for 
goods made in other countries than the United States 
increased, American traders found that they were forced to 
pay two duties upon these foreign goods, first, when they 
came into American ports, and second, when they were 
taken into Mexico. Requests for relief were frequently 
sent from the traders to the United States Government, 
but for a long time nothing definite was done. Finally 
arrangements were made for * ' drawbacks ' ' in the case of 
foreign goods passing through this country to Santa Fe. 



1 When oxen were used, a day's travel on the trail was divided 
usually into two drives of from six to eight hours each. The first 
drive began as soon as it was light enough to see and continued 
until about noon, when the wagons were corralled and the cattle 
were fed. In hot weather the second drive did not begin until 
about three or four o'clock in the afternoon and was continued 
until nine or ten o'clock in the evening. When the cattle were 
unyoked they were put in charge of a night herder, whose business 
it was to keep watch over them. All that was necessary was to 
keep track of the leader of the herd, and that was not at all difficult 
if the grass was plentiful. If the grass was short, the herd would 
often wander a long way from the camp, and that would entail 
considerable watchfulness on the part of the night guard. 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 1 95 

But very shortly after this last arrangement was made 
the United States acquired New Mexico, and then all 
tariff questions and customs regulations between American 
traders and Santa Fe officials disappeared. 

The first expedition of Becknell in 182 1 was under- character oi 
taken by a joint stock company. Each man who went ^^^^^^ 
on that expedition contributed to the common stock and its 
and each shared proportionately in the profits. In the V*^"® 
three expeditions of 1822, it seems that those who went 
did not form stock companies, but each man engaged in 
business on his own account. In neither of the expedi- 
tions of 182 1 and 1822 were there any employers or 
employees ; all were traders. But after 1822 this arrange- i. Traders 
ment gave way to another in which those going on the 
expeditions were divided into two classes, the traders 
who owned the merchandise, and the employees who acted 
as drivers, hunters, and salesmen for the traders. As the 
years passed the number of employees in a given expedi- 
tion increased and the number of employers or traders 
decreased. Whereas in the six years between 1822 and 
1828 the niunber of men on an annual expedition averaged 
about ninety, two thirds of whom were traders and one 
third employees, in the six years from 1837 to 1843 the 
number of men on an annual trip generally amounted to 
175, of whom only one third were traders and two thirds 
were employees. 

Most of the men who went on these expeditions, whether 
as traders or employees, were from central or western 
Missouri. Many were men of prominence in the State, 
among whom were M. M. Marmaduke, later governor of 
the State ; Colonel Benjamin Cooper and Major Stephen 
Cooper ; Captain Charles Bent ; Colonel Richard Gentry, 
who lost his life in the Seminole war in Florida in 1837 ; 
Major Alphonse Wetmore ; and Colonel Benjamin H. 
Reeves, lieutenant governor of Missouri. Many of the 
men who went on these expeditions as traders continued 
their business in Missouri and undertook the trips as extra 



196 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



enterprises "between the more important periods of the 
year's work at home." 

2. Wares The goods taken to Santa Fe by these traders included 

almost everything needed in everyday life. According 
to an enumeration made in 1824, they included the fol- 
lowing : "Cotton goods, consisting of coarse and fine 
cambrics, calicoes, domestic shawls, handkerchiefs, steam- 
loom shirtings, and cotton hose ; a few woolen goods, con- 
sisting of super blues, stroudings, pelisse cloth and shawls, 
crapes, bombazettes ; some light articles of cutlery, a 
silk shawl, and looking-glasses ; in addition to these, many 
other articles necessary for the purpose of an assortment." 
Notwithstanding this variety, fully one half of the cargo 
was made up of domestic cottons. Missourians were 
accustomed to make a special point of this fact when they 
sought to secure from the National Government protec- 
tion against the Indians on the trail. They showed that 
Missouri was not alone interested in the Santa Fe trade. 
The South was interested because it raised the cotton ; 
the North, because it manufactured cotton cloth. 

In the early days of the Santa Fe expeditions the traders 
obtained their wares from merchants in Missouri ; but as 
the years passed and the business fell into the hands of 
fewer and fewer traders, it became the practice of these 
traders to buy their wares in Philadelphia, ship them to 
Missouri, and then take them on to Santa Fe. 

The average amount of merchandise taken to Santa 
Fe each year from 1822 to 1827 was valued at about 
$50,000. During the years from 1828 to 1843 the annual 
cargoes averaged in value about $200,000. And for 
the entire period from 1822 to 1843, it is estimated 
that more than $3,000,000 worth of goods was taken to 
Santa F^. 

3. Returns In return for these commodities which the traders 

took to Santa F6 they obtained furs, livestock, and specie. 
Raw wool and sometimes coarse Mexican blankets were 
brought back, but not in great quantities. The commod- 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 1 97 

ities that were brought back by the traders were of great 
importance to Missouri. The principal furs that came 
from Santa Fe were beaver and otter, and were highly- 
prized in the St. Louis market. "Of nearly as much 
value as the furs and of much greater consequence to 
Missouri and to the necessities of the trader were the 
droves of livestock brought from New Mexico, consisting 
of horses, jacks, jennets, and large numbers of mules. 
Indeed, Missouri apparently owes her preeminence in the 
mule-raising industry to the early impetus received from 
the Santa Fe trade." 

"But of more importance than either the furs or the 
livestock brought back by the trader was the specie." 
In a former chapter we saw how Missourians were com- 
pelled in early days to rely on barter or to make use of 
the "wildcat" currency that came in from other states. 
It was therefore a great boon to the State to have a stream 
of coin and bullion pouring into it from Santa Fe. It 
has been estimated that for many years from $100,000 to 
$200,000 in coin and bullion, in addition to the other 
commodities, were brought into Missouri each year. 

The returns to the traders on their investments, whether 4- Profits 
in the form of furs, livestock, or specie, were enough to 
repay them for their trouble and risk and to cover the 
losses that were sustained from Indian depredations. 
Becknell was reported to have made a profit of 200 per 
cent on his second expedition in 1822, and another ex- 
pedition in 1824 is said to have yielded returns amounting 
to 300 per cent profit. But usually the profits ran from 
20 to 100 per cent. 

The Oregon and the Santa Fe trails differed physically Comparison 
in several respects. In the first place, the one was nearly oregon°an/ 
twice as long as the other. Moreover, the one crossed the Santa Fe 
the Rockies, while the other was confined to the plains. 
South Pass, where the Oregon Trail crossed the crest of 
the Rockies, was almost half way between the beginning 
and the end of the trail. Again, the Oregon Trail was 



198 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Origin of 
the Oregon 
TraU 



Common 
Starting 
Point of the 
Two Trails 



never surveyed, while the Santa Fe Trail was. Both 
originated through the spontaneous use of travelers, but in 
1825 the United States Government undertook a survey 
of the Santa Fe Trail. This survey was nothing more 
than a marking of the route and did not include the build- 
ing of a road.^ It did not follow in all its parts the route 
that travelers had already marked out. The surveyors 
sought to go around places that were more or less difficult 
of passage, but the traders declined to travel along these 
new sections marked off by the surveyors and stuck to 
their old short cuts in spite of the difficulties that they 
encountered. But no survey of any sort was ever made 
of the Oregon Trail. 

The history of the Oregon Trail begins with the fur 
trading expeditions to and from Astoria (Oregon) in 181 1- 
13. After that, trappers and traders as they passed 
back and forth "gradually connected the more feasible 
crossings of the mountains and the deserts" that had been 
discovered; so that "by 1843 there was a well-defined, 
continuous route from the Missouri River at the mouth 
of the Kansas to the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the 
Columbia." An illustration of this sort of growth of the 
trail is the discovery of the famous South Pass in 1823 
by the agents of William Ashley of Missouri, who, through 
the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, was developing 
the fur trade of the mountains. The discovery of this 
pass greatly facilitated travel across the mountains and 
had a great deal to do in determining the permanent 
course of the Oregon Trail. 

The two trails started near the mouth of the Kansas 
River and ran along the same route for about forty miles 
westward. At a point a little northwest of the present town 
of Gardner, Kansas, the trails parted and from there on ran 
in different directions. 

1 Special permission was obtained from the Mexican government 
allowing the United States commissioners to surv^ey the trail across 
Mexican territory. 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 



199 



In a sense the real starting point of these trails was 
St. Louis, the journey from that place to the point where the 
overland traveling began being generally made by steam- 
boat. But as traders always outfitted their expeditions at 
the point where the overland journey began, we are ac- 
customed to speak of that point as the beginning of the 
trail. The earliest Santa Fe expeditions were usually 
outfitted at Franklin, Howard County, which was at that 



Franklin 




Tavern at Arrow Rock 

Arrow Rock is a town on the Missouri River in Saline County. In early 
days it was on the Santa Fe Trail from Boonville to Independence. The 
tavern in the town was the regular stopping place of the Santa Fe traders as 
they came and went. It is still used as a hotel. 



time the most important town in Missouri west of St. 
Louis. Nearly all the earlier Santa Fe expeditions were 
made by residents of the Boone's Lick country. But 
as the trade grew in importance and as the steamboats 
began to ascend the Missouri to higher points, and par- 
ticularly as traders from other places than Boone's Lick 
began to engage in the trade, the starting place was 
gradually transferred to what is now Independence, near 2. Independ- 
the mouth of the Kansas River. This town was laid out ^°^^ 
in 1827. 



200 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. W'estport In the course of the next six years, however, the Mis- 
souri River destroyed the steamboat landing at Inde- 
pendence, and the boats were compelled to go farther 
up the river to find a convenient place to unload their 
cargoes. The place selected was laid out in 1833 and 
was called Westport. Gradually it supplanted Independ- 
ence in the business of outfitting the expeditions that 
went out on the trails. Meanwhile Franklin, which had 
been injured commercially by the transfer of the business 




Kansas City as it was in 1852 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center State, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 



Importance 
of the Trails 
in the His- 
tory of 
Missouri 



of outfitting to Independence and Westport, was swept 
completely out of existence by the action of the Missouri 
River. ^ 

The Santa Fe and Oregon trails were important in the 
history of Missouri and the Far West not only because of 
the commerce that passed back and forth along them, 
but also because of the streams of colonists that flowed 
out through them from Missouri to the Far West. Coloni- 

^ Parties sometimes started for Oregon at Fort Leavenworth or 
St. Joseph, following the Missouri River up to Council Bluflfs and 
then following the Platte River to South Pass, where they would 
strike the main Oregon Trail. 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 



20 1 




zation followed as a most natural consequence the com- 
mercial activity that went on with these distant countries. 
This was particularly true of Oregon. After 1840 Mis- 
sourians settled in such 
large numbers in the 
famous Willamette Val- 
ley as to make that 
region practically a 
transplanted section of 
Missouri. Meanwhile, 
Missourians were also 
going to New Mexico, 
and later they went on 
to southern California. 
The discovery of gold 
in California in 1848 
naturally drew many 
Missourians to that 
country, and they 
generally found their 
way thither along these 
two trails.^ 

So important were these trails in the history of Mis- 
souri and the Far West that it was thought fitting to set 

^ The influence of Missouri in early days was felt in other states 
of the West besides those that have been specially mentioned. In 
Montana, for example, a list was compiled in 1899 of the persons 
who had settled in that state prior to 1865. Of the 1808 persons 
so listed, 138 had been born in Missouri. Only one other state 
ranked ahead of Missouri and that was New York, to which 154 
were credited. In the census of 1870, 1305 of the 18,306 white 
persons living in Montana had been born in Missouri. How many 
more people who had been born elsewhere but had lived in Missouri 
for a time before going to Montana cannot be told, but doubtless 
the number was large. The fact that, of the 1808 persons listed 
in 1899 as having settled in Montana prior to 1865, 1302 had 
gone to Montana by the Missouri River route or over the trail 
would suggest that many had lived in Missouri for a time at least 
before going. 



Santa Fe Trail Marker 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center State, 
by permission of the Missouri Historical 
Society. 



Marking 
the Trails 



202 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

up granite markers at all the principal places along that 
portion that lies in Missouri from Boonville to Kansas 
City, and also along the old Boone's Lick Road from St. 
Louis to Boonville. Accordingly the Missouri Daugh- 
ters of the American Revolution undertook to interest 
the State legislature in the matter and succeeded in 19 13 
in getting an appropriation of $6000 for that purpose. 
The erection of the markers was directed by the State 
rightway commission and the Daughters of the American 
Revolution. 

REFERENCES 

Fur Trade — Chittenden, The American Fur Trade of the Far 
West, 3 vols. The great authority on the fur trade of the Far 
West. The only work that deals with the subject as a whole. 
Coues, Forty Years a Fur Trader on the Upper Missouri. The 
autobiography of a man who for forty years engaged in trapping 
and fur trading in the upper Mississippi Valley as an employee of the 
American Fur Company. Dale, The Ashley-Smith Explorations 
and the Discovery of a Central Route to the Pacific, 1822-29. A very 
scholarly investigation of the explorations of William Ashley of 
Missouri and of Jedediah Strong Smith in the far Northwest and 
West. Lippincott, A Century and a Half of the Fur Trade at St. 
Louis, in the Washington University Studies for April, 1916. A 
special study of the growth and development of the fur trade at St. 
Louis. Douglas, "Manuel Lisa," in the Missouri Historical Society 
Collections for 191 1, vol. iii, Nos. 3 and 4. A very detailed study of 
Lisa. 

Steamboats and Steamboat Traffic on the Missouri River — Chit- 
tenden, History of the Early Steamboat Navigation on the Missouri River, 
2 vols. The only work that has attempted to deal with the subject 
as a whole. A very scholarly production. 

Santa Fe and Oregon Trails — Chittenden, The American Fur 
Trade of the Far West. Especially good on the history of the making 
of the trails. Inman, The Old Santa Fe Trail; Inman, The Great 
Salt Lake Trail. These two books arc highly descriptive accounts 
of the traffic and travel along these trails. Parkman, Oregon Trail. 
A most vivid account of a trip made by the author over the Oregon 
Trail in 1846. Stephens, "The Santa Fe Trade," in the Missouri 
Historical Review, July, 1916, and April-July, 191 7. These articles 
constitute the most scientific study that has yet been made of the 
economic phases of the Santa F6 trade. They have been printed 



MISSOURI AND THE FAR WEST 203 

separately. Trexler, "Missouri-Montana Highways," in the 
Missouri Historical Review, January and April, 191 8. A special 
investigation of early migration to Montana along the Missouri 
River and the Oregon Trail, in which the influence of Missouri 
upon Montana in early days is brought out. Broadhead, Santa 
Fe Trail, July, 1910. Three Santa Fe Journals and Diaries have 
been reprinted in the Missouri Historical Review as follows : Major 
Alphonse Wetmore's Diary of a Journey to Santa Fe, edited by 
Stephens, July, 1914, pp. 177-197; M. M. Marmaduke's Journal, 
edited by Sampson, October, 191 1, pp. i-io; Journals of Captain 
Thomas Becknell, January, 19 10, pp. 65-84. 



CHAPTER X 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 



" Forty- 
Niners " 



Book of 
Mormon 



[Historical Setting. — The Mormon migration to Utah.] 

The familiar story of the discovery of gold in California 
in 1848 and of the rush of fortune seekers into that far dis- 
tant country does not need to be repeated here. Over 
80,000 men made their way to California in 1849, some 
going across the plains, some rounding Cape Horn, and 
others crossing the Isthmus of Panama and then taking ship 
for California. Most of these going across the plains set 
out along the Oregon Trail and followed it until they 
came to the Salt Lake Valley, where they turned off to 
the southwest and made for the Sacramento Valley. In 
fact, it was along this route that the first rush of " forty- 
niners " passed. On reaching the Salt Lake Valley they 
found it occupied by a peculiar religious sect called 
Mormons, who had begun their migrations to this region 
the year previous. These people had come to Salt Lake 
from Illinois, where they had been living for nearly ten 
years after their expulsion from Missouri. Inasmuch as 
their sojourn in Missouri constitutes a very important 
historical background for their migrations first to Illinois 
and then to Utah, it is appropriate here to bring under 
review an account of that period of their history when 
they lived in Missouri. 

Mormonism owes its existence to Joseph Smith, Jr., 
who claimed that under the direction of God he had found 
certain gold plates upon which was engraved the history 
of ancient America ' ' from the first settlement by a colony 

204 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 



'-OS 



that came from the Tower of Babel at the confusion of 
languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the 
Christian era." According to the record which is said to 
have been engraved on these plates, America was inhabited 
in ancient times by two distinct races of people. The first 
were the Jaredites, who came directly from the Tower of 
Babel. The second race was 
composed chiefly of Israelites 
and came directly from the city 
of Jerusalem about six hun- 
dred years before Christ. The 
Jaredites were destroyed about 
the time these Israelites came 
from Jerusalem, thus leaving 
the latter to succeed to the in- 
heritance of the country. Most 
of the Israelites, however, fell 
in battle toward the close of 
the fourth century a.d. The 
descendants of those who sur- 
vived are the Indians of this con- 
tinent. In addition, the Book 
of Mormon relates that "Christ 
made his appearance upon this 
continent after his resurrec- 
tion ; that he planted his gospel 
here in all its fullness and rich- 
ness and power and blessing ; that his followers had apostles, 
prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists ; the same or- 
der, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, 
and blessings as were enjoyed on the eastern continent ; that 
the people were cut off in consequence of their transgres- 
sions ; that the last of their prophets who existed among 
them were commanded to write an abridgement of their pro- 
phecies, history, etc., and to hide it away in the earth, and 
that it should come forth and be united with the Bible for 
the accomplishment of the purpose of God in the last days. " 



I . Records 
on Gold 
Plates 




Joseph Smith, Jr. 

The founder of the Mormon 
Church. From Vida Smith's Voting 
People's History of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 



2o6 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Transla- 
tion of the 
Plates 



3. Growth in 
the Number 
of Mormons 



Lamanite 
Mission 



I. Journey 
to Inde- 
pendence, 
Missouri 



These plates, it was said, were found by Smith in 1823 
in Cumorah Hill, near Manchester, New York, where 
they had been placed in'384 a.d. by a man named Moroni. 
Smith, however, was not allowed to remove the plates 
from their hiding place until 1827, when they were com- 
mitted to his keeping with the command to translate 
them. In about two years and a half the translation was 
completed and in 1830 the Book of Mormon was printed. 

With the credibility of these claims of Smith we are in 
no wise concerned. Most people have rejected them as 
preposterous. But whether we accept his claims or not, 
the fact of great and undoubted historical importance is 
that Smith was able to interest a number of people in his 
ideas and to get them to believe him, and that the 
Mormons have continually grown in numbers and are to 
be found in many parts of the world to-day. 

In 1830, the same year in which the Book of Mormon 
was published, Smith organized in Fayette, New York, 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Very 
shortly after its organization this new church undertook 
to send a mission to the Indians living in the western part 
of the country. This was a very natural thing for the 
followers of Smith to do. The Book of Mormon contained 
many promises to the Lamanites, the descendants of the 
Israelites who had come to America in very early days, 
and as the Indians were supposed to be the Lamanites, it 
is not at all surprising to find that in 1830 a mission was 
sent out to the Indians living in what is now Kansas. 

On their way west the four men who composed this 
mission came to Kirtland, Ohio, where they tarried for a 
while, preaching and converting men and women to their 
new gospel. A church was organized at Kirtland and 
in a short time congregations were established in a great 
many other places in Ohio.^ In the course of the year 

1 The Mormons soon developed a very extensive propaganda and 
sent out missionaries not only to the Indians, but also to the whites 
throughout the United States and in other countries. So successful 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 



207 



1 83 1, Smith removed from New York to Kirtland and 
made that the center of his activities for several years. 

From Kirtland the mission to the Lamanites proceeded 
to Independence, Missouri, arriving at the latter place 
early in 183 1. Here it was decided that two of 
their niimber should secure employment at their trade 
of tailoring while the remaining three should cross the 
frontier line and enter the reservation of the Shawnees 
and the Dela wares. ^ The Indians were said to have been 
much interested in the message that was thus brought to 
them by these missionaries, but the Indian agents soon 
interfered and compelled the Mormons to withdraw from 
the reservation. When the expelled missionaries returned 
to Independence, they consulted with their brethren there, 
and it was decided that one of their number. Parley P. 
Pratt, should return to Kirtland and report to the Prophet 
the outcome of their efforts. 

Shortly after the return of Pratt to Kirtland, Smith 
announced that he had had a revelation in which he 
and Rigdon were commanded to journey to western Mis- 
souri as soon as possible and to consecrate there the land 
of Zion. About the middle of June, 183 1, Smith and a 
party of seven persons started out on their journey, going 
by way of Cincinnati and St. Louis. At the same time 
twenty-eight elders were sent out two by two through 
the different Western states to preach and baptize and 
ultimately to meet the Prophet in western Missouri. 

About the middle of July, 1 83 1, the Prophet and his party 
arrived at Independence, having made the journey on 
foot from St. Louis to that point. In due time those who 
had been sent out to the other Western states began to 



2. Failure of 
the Mission 



The Found- 
ing of Zion 
at Inde- 
pendence 



I. Cere- 
monies, 
August 2 
and 3, 1831 



were they in these missionary enterprises that they were able to 
announce by 1833 that they had estabhshed "congregations in 
nearly all the Northern states and in some of the Southern, with 
baptisms from 30 to 130 in a place." 

1 The mission was increased from four to five by the addition of 
a new recruit at Kirtland. 



208 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



arrive also. Smith was greatly delighted with the new 
country ; he declared that it had been revealed to him 
that this was "the land of promise and the place for the 
city of Zion," and that the Saints should make extensive 
purchases of land in this vicinity as soon as possible. 
In order that the world might know what God had or- 
dained, two ceremonies were observed by Smith. In 




Temple Lot at Independence, Missouri 

Dedicated by Joseph Smith, Jr., on August 3, 1831. Now in possession of 
the " Hedrickites," one of the Mormon sects. Beyond the trees in the picture 
the " Hedrickites " have built a frame church building. See the next picture. 
To the left in this picture, and across the street from Temple Lot, is the " Rock 
Church " of the Reorganized Latter Day Saints. In another part of the town 
the Utah Mormons have erected a church building. Each of the three sects 
hopes some day to build the temple on this lot. 

one the foundations of the future city of Zion were sym- 
bolically laid, and in the other the site of the future 
temple was consecrated and the cornerstone symbolically 
laid. These ceremonies were held on August 2 and 3, 
1 83 1. More than eighty-six years have passed since 
they took place, and as yet Zion has not been built nor 
has the temple been erected on this sacred site. But from 
that time to this every Mormon sect has held firmly to 
the hoi)e and belief that some day it will be able to bring 
about the realization of those things which were foretold 
by the Prophet in 1831. 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 



209 



At that time Independence, which was designated by 
Smith as the central place of Zion, was a small, struggling 
frontier town. Under the rule of the Saints it was to be 
transformed into a model city with a large and bustling 
population. According to a plan which was drawn up 
in June, 1833, the city was to be one mile square and 
divided into blocks, all of which were to be forty rods 
square, containing ten acres each, except the middle 
range of blocks running north and south, which were to 
be forty by sixty rods and to contain fifteen acres each. 
This middle tier of blocks was to be reserved for public 




The "Hedrickite" Church Building on Temple Lot 

The " Hedrickites " came to Independence from Illinois in 1867. One of 
the original " Hedrickite " immigrants to Independence, Mr. George P. Frisbie, 
stands beside the building. From a photograph taken by Professor Mark 
Burrows of the Kirksville State Normal School in November, 191 7. 

buildings, temples, tabernacles, schoolhouses, and the 
like. All the other blocks were to be divided into half- 
acre lots, on each of which was to be erected a house. 
All houses were to be built twenty-five feet back from the 
street, the space in front being for lawns and ornamental 
trees, shrubbery, or flowers, and that in the rear for 
gardens. Lands on the north and south of the city were 
to be laid out for barns and stables for the use of the 
people, thus removing such buildings from the vicinity of 
their homes. Lands for farming also were to be laid off 
to the north and south of the city, and to the east and 
west if necessary, but the farmers were to live in the city 



2. Plan for 
the Rebuild- 
ing of Inde- 
pendence 



2IO 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Migration 
of Mormons 
to the Land 
of Zion 



Expulsion of 
Mormons 
from Jack- 
son County 



I. First 
Signs of 
Hostility 



itself. It was supposed that such a city would accom- 
modate from 15,000 to 20,000 people. 

Shortly before Smith arrived at Independence a band of 
about sixty Mormons came from Colesville, New York, 
and settled on the edge of a large prairie about twelve 
miles west of Independence in what must be now the 
suburbs of Kansas City. It was in their settlement 
that Smith laid the foundations of Zion on August 2. 
Later on other settlements were made by the Mormons 
in different parts of Jackson County. By the middle 
of 1833 they had established several "stakes"^ in the 
county, and numbered more than 1200 souls, or about 
one third of the total population. 

Because of their rapid increase in numbers and because 
of their peculiar religious and social beliefs, the Mormons 

aroused a great deal of 
hostility on the part of 
the people in that sec- 
tion of the State. This 
hostility began to show 
itself as early as the 
spring of 1832, when 
the homes of the Mor- 
mons were stoned at 
night and windows 
were broken. Very 
shortly men began to 
talk of removing the 
Mormons from the 
county, but nothing 
definite was done until July, 1833, when the opponents 
of the Mormons issued a manifesto setting forth their 
complaints and calling a meeting in the court house at 
Independence on the twentieth of that month. Several 
hundred people signed this manifesto and the meeting 
was attended by nearly 500. 

1 "Stake" is the Mormon term for local church or congregation. 




The Court House at Independence, 
Missouri 

As it stood during the Mormon troubles 
in Missouri. From Smith's Young People's 
History. 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 21 1 

The first business of the meeting was to draw up an 2. Address 

address which should set forth the grievances of the Qf'j^ens of 

people in greater detail than had been done in the original Jackson 

manifesto. After characterizing the Mormons as little .9^Tt^ ^° 

'^ the Mormons 

above negroes as far as property and education were 
concerned, and charging them with exerting a corrupting 
influence on the slaves ; after asserting that the Mormons 
were daily boasting that they would appropriate the land 
of the Gentiles to themselves ; and after forecasting the 
future, when through continued immigration the Mor- 
mons should far outnumber the Gentiles, the address 
closed with these demands : 

" That no Mormon shall in future move or settle in this county. 

"That those now here who shall give a definite pledge of their 
intention within a reasonable time to remove out of the county shall 
be allowed to remain unmolested until they have sufficient time to 
sell their property and close their business without any material 
sacrifice. 

"That the editor of the Star^ be required forthwith to close his 
office and discontinue the business of printing in this county; and 
as to all other stores and shops belonging to the sect, their owners 
must in every case strictly comply with the terms of the second 
article of this declaration ; and upon failure, prompt and efficient 
measures will be taken to close the same. 

" That the Mormon leaders here are required to use their influence 
in preventing any further emigration of their distant brethren to 
this county and to counsel and advise their brethren here to comply 
with the above regulations. 

" That those who fail to comply with the requisitions be referred 
to those of their brethren who have the powers of divination or of 
unknown tongues to inform them of the lot that awaits them." 

After adopting the address the meeting took a recess 3- Mobbing 
of two hours in order that a committee might confer with 
the representative leaders of the Mormons. In due time 
the committee reported back to the meeting that these 

^ The Morning and Evening Star was the official paper of the 
Mormons in Missouri, having been established by them in June, 
1832. It was suspended in July, 1833, as the result of the troubles 
in Jackson County. 



of the 
Mormons 



212 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



4. The Mor- 
mons Agree 
to Leave 
the County 



5. Mormons 
Decide Not 
to Leave 



leaders "declined giving any direct answer to the requi- 
sitions made of them and wished an unreasonable time for 
consultation not only with their brethren here but in 
Ohio." The meeting thereupon voted unanimously to 
raze the printing office to the ground and to seize the type 
and press. This resolution was immediately carried into 
effect, and in addition several Mormons were tarred and 
feathered. 

Three days later the Missourians gathered again in 
Independence, this time carrying a red flag and bearing 
arms. The result of this gathering was a written agree- 
ment between a committee of the Gentiles and some of 
the Mormon leaders to the effect that the latter with their 
families would move from the county by the following 
January, and that they would use their influence to in- 
duce their fellow Mormons to do likewise, one half by 
January i and the rest by April i. They also agreed to 
do all they could to prevent further immigration of their 
brethren into the county. For more than two months 
after this there was no further trouble. 

It soon became evident, however, that the Mormons 
did not intend to observe this agreement. One of their 
number was sent to Kirtland to advise with the church 
officers there. 1 It was decided by a council held at that 
place that legal measures should be taken to establish 
the rights of the Saints in Missouri and that a petition 
should be submitted to the governor of the State ap- 
pealing to him for assistance in their behalf. In reply 
to this petition Governor Dunklin expressed considerable 
sympathy with the Mormons in their troubles and assured 
them he would use all the means which the constitution 
and laws of the State placed at his disposal to avert the 
calamities which threatened them. He advised them to 



1 The headquarters of the Mormons were as yet at Kirtland, 
Ohio. The Prophet returned to that place shortly after dedicating 
Temple Lot in Independence in 1831, and came to Missouri only on 
occasional visits until his final removal to the State in 1837. 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 213 

invoke the laws and promised that, if these could not be 
peaceably executed, he would take steps to secure their 
enforcement. 

This reply from the governor in October gave the 
Mormons renewed courage. Early in August they had 
been assured by the Prophet that the Lord had revealed 
to him that Zion could not fail and could not be moved 
out of her place. But now that the highest authority in 
the State had pledged them his support, they resimied 
their occupations and began to erect more houses and to 
improve their places as if they intended to remain perma- 
nently. Moreover, they engaged the services of four Clay 
County lawyers to look after their interests. Among 
these lawyers were Doniphan^ and Atchison. Meanwhile 
immigration of new members from Ohio and other parts 
of the country continued. And as if to remove all un- 
certainty as to their plans and intentions, the Mormons 
made a public declaration on Sunday, October 20, 1833, 
that they intended to remain and defend their lands and 
houses. 

Hostilities in a more violent form than ever were not 6. Renewal 
long in breaking out. On the night of October ^i a mob of Hostilities 

^^ ^ . against the 

attacked a Mormon settlement on the Big Blue, a stream Mormons 
about ten miles west of Independence. They unroofed 
and demolished twelve houses, severely whipping some of 
the men, and frightening the women and children so badly 
that they fled for refuge into the outlying country in the 
middle of the night. On the following night Mormon 
houses in Independence were stoned and the church store 
was broken into and pillaged. The Mormons appealed 
to a justice of the peace for a warrant to arrest the ma- 
rauders, but were refused, notwithstanding the letter of 
Governor Dunklin which they presented. When later 
they took before the same officer one of the mob whom 
they had caught in the act of destroying their property, 

^ This was the Alexander Doniphan of later fame in the Mexican 
War. 



214 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

the justice not only refused to hold him, but issued a 
warrant against four Mormons for false imprisonment 
and had them lodged in jail. 

Finding themselves denied the protection of the courts, 
the Mormons proceeded to arm themselves and to estab- 
lish night patrol service throughout their settlements. On 
the next day (November 2) a second attack was made upon 
Big Blue, in which many shots were exchanged and at least 
two Mormons were wounded. On November 4, "Bloody 
Day" in the annals of the Mormons, attacks were made 
upon several of the Mormon settlements in the county ; 
an attempt was also made to mob some Mormons during 
the course of their trial in the court house at Independence, 
and but for the prompt action of the sheriff the attempt 
might have succeeded. 
7. Mormons Under these circumstances it became apparent to the 
ciay^County Mormons that they could not remain in Jackson County 
any longer, and they began to make preparations to re- 
move at once to some other place. At first they decided 
to go to a point fifty miles south of Independence, to what 
was then called Van Buren County (now Cass), but as 
the people of Jackson County would not consent to this, 
they agreed to go across the Missouri River into Clay 
County. For two days, November 6 and 7, the ferries 
were crowded with the fleeing refugees, most of whom 
were in dire distress. Encamped on the northern bank 
of the Missouri, they presented a strange spectacle. 
"Hundreds of people were to be seen in every direction ; 
some in the open air, around their fires, while the rain 
descended in torrents. Husbands were inquiring for 
their wives and women for their husbands, parents for 
children and children for parents. Some had the good 
fortune to escape with their family, household goods, and 
some provisions ; while others knew not of the fate of 
their friends and had lost all their goods. The scene was 
indescribable." 

Not all the Mormons in Jackson County, however, 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 



215 



joined the exodus on November 6 and 7. There were 
still a few families scattered here and there in the county, 
but these were threatened and abused so harshly that they 
also were finally forced to leave. By the close of the year 
not a Mormon was left in the county. 

The distress that had come upon the Mormons by their f- Reception 
sudden expulsion from Jackson County was somewhat county 
relieved by the rather kindly manner in which they were 
received in Clay County. Here they were allowed to 
occupy every vacant cabin they could find and to erect 
temporary shelters until they could build homes of their 
own. Some of the women were employed as domestic serv- 
ants in the homes of the well-to-do farmers ; others taught 
school, while the men worked at any sort of employment 
they could find. For three years the Mormons dwelt in 
peace in Clay County and enjoyed a degree of prosperity.^ 

Meanwhile, through legal proceedings in the courts 
the Mormons sought to secure redress for the losses which 
they had sustained in Jackson County ; but failing in 
this, they petitioned the governor to restore their pos- 
sessions and to protect them in the use of their property. 
They also asked that they be allowed to organize them- 
selves into Jackson County Guards to assist the militia 
in affording them protection. These requests, however, 
the governor declined to grant. 

1 There was an early prospect of friction between the Mormons 
and the people of Clay County through an attempted invasion of 
the county by a Mormon army from the east. In February, 1 834, 
Pratt and Wight arrived in Kirtland from Jackson County and 
related in full the story of the expulsion of the Saints from Jackson 
County. The Prophet thereupon announced a new revelation by 
which he was directed to raise an army and lead it to the help of 
the distressed Saints in Missouri. Accordingly an army of 200 
men, known as the Army of Zion, was gathered at Kirtland and 
started toward Missouri in May. But it was destined to an in- 
glorious end. Owing to the warnings that were given to Smith 
by Missourians as his army approached Clay County and as it 
later entered that county, he concluded to disband it and let the 
men go their way. 



Attempts of 
the Mor- 
mons to 
Secure 
Redress 



2l6 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Troubles 
in Clay 
County 



I. Increase 
in the 
Number of 
Mormons 



2. Mass 
Meeting of 
Citizens at 
Liberty 



Later an attempt was made to arbitrate the differences 
between the contending parties. A meeting at Libert}^ 
was arranged for June i6, 1834, between the Mormons 
and a committee from Jackson County, at which it was 
proposed by the committee that the value of the lands 
and the improvements thereon of the Mormons in Jack- 
son County be ascertained by three disinterested ap- 
praisers, and that the people of Jackson County agree 
either to pay the Mormons the valuation fixed by the 
appraisers, with one hundred per cent added within thirty 
days of the award, or to sell out their lands to the Mormons 
on the same terms. ^ The Mormons declined these terms 
and proposed counter terms, but these likewise were 
declined by the Jackson County people. The result was 
that the attempt to arbitrate failed. 

Although the Mormons dwelt in peace in Clay County 
for about three years, there were signs of an impending 
conflict some time before the end of that period. Omng 
to the rapid growth of the Mormons through immigration, 
the natives were made to realize that in a short time they 
would be greatly outnumbered. This prospect of being 
reduced to a minority in their own county was not at all 
pleasing, especially when the Mormons began to an- 
nounce rather boldly that their church would some day 
acquire possession of all the land in that part of the 
country. 

Under these circumstances the feeling toward the 
Mormons became very bitter in Clay County, and matters 
were brought to a crisis through a public meeting held in 
the court house at Liberty in June, 1836. In a set of 
resolutions adopted by the meeting, the Mormons were 
reminded that when they had been received as exiles from 



1 While the fifteen Jackson County committeemen were crossing 
the river on the way home, their boat upset and seven of their 
number were drowned. Inasmuch as the weather was calm and 
there was no apparent explanation for the sinking of the boat, the 
Mormons declared that the angel of the Lord had sunk it. 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 217 

Jackson County it had been the understanding that they 
should leave whenever "a respectable portion of the citi- 
zens" of Clay County should so designate, and they were 
then informed that the time for their departure had 
come. The reasons offered for demanding the removal 
of the Mormons were : their declarations that the land 
was destined to belong to them and to the Indians, their 
hostility to slavery, and their peculiar religious tenets. 
They were urged to seek new homes for themselves, pref- 
erably in the Territory of Wisconsin. The newly arrived 
immigrants were advised to leave at once, the non-land- 
holders were told to go after harvest, and the owners of 
forty acres or more as soon as they could dispose of their 
real estate. 

Seeing that it was useless to remain in Clay County Settlement 

under these circumstances, the Mormons decided to leave, iLf •„ °'^' 

' ' mons in 

and in casting about for a new location they decided that Caldwell 
they would like to live in the northern part of what was °"°*^ 
then Ray County, provided it could be cut off from Ray 
and made into a separate county. They had been more 
or less acquainted with the advantages of that region for 
some time, as some of their number had traveled over it 
in 1834 and had described it in glowing terms to their 
brethren in Clay County, Accordingly the Mormons i- Creation 
petitioned the legislature to cut off the upper part of Ray count 
County and organize it into a new county, and they suc- 
ceeded in getting the legislature to do this in December, 
1836. Although there was nothing in the act of the 
legislature which created this county (called Caldwell) 
devoting it to the use of the Mormons, it was, however, 
created with the understanding that that was what the 
new county was for. In a short time the Mormons moved 
out of Clay County almost en masse and settled in Cald- 
well.^ They came also from the other counties in which 

1 Some of them began to come into this region even before the 
new county was created. Several Mormons moved from Clay 
County and settled on School Creek in October, 1836. 



2l8 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

they had settled. There were but few people living in 
the new county when it was organized, and these offered 
no objection to the settlement of the Mormons in their 
midst. Many of the Mormons were able to acquire land 
either by purchase or by entering government land, but 
many of them were so poor that they were compelled to 
find employment in the adjoining counties. 
2. Far West As the county seat of their new home, the Mormons 
founded in the western part of the county a town which 




View of Far West as it is To-day 

Far West was the Mormon capital in Missouri in 1837-38. It contained 
3000 people at the time the Mormons were expelled from Missouri. It soon 
disappeared after the Mormons were driven out. From Smith's Young 
People's History. 

they called Far West and which was eight miles west 
of the present county seat, Kingston. The town was 
beautifully situated and commanded a fine view of the 
surrounding country for many miles. It was laid out lib- 
erally and with a view to its future growth and develop- 
ment on a large scale. The original town plot embraced 
a square mile. In the center of the town was a large pub- 
lic square, approached by four main roads running east 
and west and north and south, each a hundred feet wide. 
In the center of the public square there was to be erected 
a temple of considerable size and beauty. The blocks 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 219 

of the town were laid out so as to contain four lots of one 
acre each. Very soon after Far West was founded it be- 
came a thriving town, inhabited, of course, practically by 
Mormons only, and by the fall of 1838 it had a population 
of about 3000.^ 

Inasmuch as the population of the new county was 3- Mormon 
largely made up of Mormons, they had complete political 4^^^°^°^ 
control of it. Of the officials, two judges, thirteen magis- 
trates, the county clerk, and all of the militia officers were 
Mormons. 

Early in 1838 Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and Sidney 4- Arrival of 
Rigdon, probably the most important of the Prophet's ^^^^^^ ^^ 
followers, arrived at Far West, having been forced to flee Far West 
from Kirtland, Ohio, on account of the failure of the 
Mormon bank at that place. This bank issued notes, as 
other state banks were accustomed to do at that time/ 
and got along very well until it was pressed to redeem 
some of them. Following upon this came prosecu- 
tions for violations of the banking law of Ohio, which 
resulted in the conviction of both Smith and Rigdon. 
It was after they had been convicted that they fled to 
Missouri. 

Notwithstanding these financial difficulties, Smith and 
Rigdon were received by their followers in Missouri with 
great joy, and much was said about the early establishing 
of Zion in Missouri in fulfillment of Smith's prophecies. 

But Smith and Rigdon found conditions among the 5. Dissen- 
Saints very bad indeed. Grave dissensions had arisen ^^"^^o'mons 
among them and several of their leaders had been ex- 
pelled from the church on very serious charges. Among 
those who were expelled were Oliver Cowdery and David 
Whitmer, two of the three men who claimed they had 

' The present post office of Far West is Kerr. All of the Mormon 
houses have disappeared, but there still remains the excavation that 
had been made in the center of the public square for the temple. A 
large, rough, unhewn stone stands in each corner of the excavation. 

2 See Chapter VII on " Early Banking in Missouri." 



220 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



The Gather- 
ing of the 
Storm 



I. Rigdon's 
Salt Sermon, 
July 4, 1838 



seen the golden plates.^ It is not necessary for us to go 
into the details of these religious dissensions of the Mor- 
mons, but it should be mentioned that these troubles oc- 
casioned the rise of an organization among the Mormons 
called the "Danites." This organization was maintained 
for many years and acquired in time a very unsavory 
reputation for dark and violent deeds. 

Notwithstanding these internal discords in the church, 
Smith showed no sign of being discouraged, but took 

hold of affairs and announced 
from time to time new projects 
that had been authorized, he 
claimed, by divine revelation. 
Among other things, he ordered 
the founding of other "stakes " 
in Daviess and Carroll coun- 
ties, to the great dismay of 
the Gentiles in those counties, 
who saw in this the beginning 
of a great Mormon expansion 
throughout the State. Smith 
ordered also that work should 
begin on the new temple at 
Far West on July 4, 1838. 
The laying of the corner- 
stone of this building was the 
occasion for a big gathering of the Saints at that place and 
for a public declaration as to what their plans and in- 
tentions were. This declaration was made by Rigdon in 
what has gone down in the history of Mormonism as the 
"Salt Sermon," so called from the Bible text which he 
took: "If the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it 
be salted ? " After reviewing the history of the Mormons 
and their relations with their opponents, he announced 

* Cowdery sought readmission into the church in 1848 and was 
rebaptized. Whitmer never returned to the church, but shortly 
before he died in 1888 he reaffirmed his belief in the Book of Mormon. 




Sidney Rigdon 

One of the most prominent early 
Mormon leaders. From Smith's 
Young People's History. 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 221 

an end to their patient endurance of indignities and per- 
secutions and declared that from thenceforth they would 
resist all invasion of their rights. It was not very long 
after this that an opportunity was offered the Mormons 
to carry this policy of violence into effect. 

The first new clash between the Mormons and the Mis- 2. Clash at 
sourians came not in Caldwell County but in Daviess ^ugusre, 
County.^ The occasion for it was the State election which 1838 
occurred on August 6, 1838. In Daviess County the two 
political parties, the Whigs and the Democrats, were 
evenly divided, and both of them were striving to secure 
the Mormon vote in the county. When it appeared that 
the Mormons were going to vote with the Democrats, the 
Whigs were reported as planning to prevent them from 
voting at all. Whether this was so or not, an attack was 
made upon the Mormons at Gallatin on the day of the 
election, and several men were hurt on both sides, but no 
lives were lost. 

When the news of this altercation reached Far West, 
the Mormons became greatly excited and sent a force 
of 150 men, including Smith and Rigdon, to the rescue of 
their brethren in Daviess County, whom they had heard 
were in great peril. By the time they arrived, however, 
they found that matters had quieted down, and that 
there was no need of their assistance. But before return- 
ing home, they managed to extort from the justice of 
the peace of that part of the county and the judge-elect 
for the county a promise that he would administer the 
law justly and not join the mob against the Mormons. - 

1 Mormon settlements were made in both Daviess and Carroll 
counties, as well as in Caldwell. 

2 This promise was made in writing and is as follows : "I, Adam 
Black, A Justice of the Peace of Daviess County, do hereby sertify 
to the people called Mormin that he is bound to support the con- 
stitution of this State and of the United States, and he is not attached 
to any mob nor will attach himself to any such people, and so long 
as they will not molest me I will not molest them. This eighth day 
of August, 1838. Adam Black, J. P." 



22 2 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

In doing this the Mormons made a mistake, as it afforded 
their enemies a chance to institute proceedings against 
them in the courts. Indeed, warrants were secured for 
the arrest of Smith and others, charging them with having 
entered another county armed and with having com- 
pelled a justice of the peace to give them a promise of 
security. The trial was set for September 7 . 

This marked the beginning of the end of the Mormons in 
Missouri. From this time on the relations between the 
Mormons and the Missourians became more and more 
hostile and the demand for the expulsion of the Mormons 
from the State grew rapidly. In fact, a state of civil war 
soon came to exist in Caldwell, Daviess, and Carroll 
counties, and continued until the last of the Mormons 
left for Illinois the following spring. 
3. Other The details of this strife need not concern us here, al- 

Hostilities though a few of the more important events may well be 
mentioned. Shortly after the trouble started, the Mor- 
mons began to abandon their more remote settlements 
and to concentrate at Far West and Adam-ondi-Ahman.^ 
Those at Dewitt in Carroll County, on finding that the 
governor would not pay any attention to their petition, 
agreed to leave their settlement on being paid for the im- 
provements which they had made, and to move to Far 
West. Armed bands of Mormons and Missourians rode 
over the country stealing and pillaging. Houses were 
burned down not only in the country but also in the towns. 

' Adam-ondi-Ahman was situated on Grand River in Daviess 
County, twenty-five miles wost of Far West. It was founded in 
obedience to a revelation which Smith claimed to have received 
regarding it. It was named Adam-ondi-Ahman "because it is the 
place where Adam shall come to visit his people." Smith also 
declared that three years before his death Adam had gathered at this 
place a number of priests and all of his posterity who were righteous, 
and had blessed them. Popular tradition in Daviess County to-day 
holds that the Mormons taught that Adam was buried at this place, 
and people generally speak of the place as " Adam's grave." But 
the Mormons deny that they ever held this view. 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 223 

A band of about eighty Mormons made an attack upon 
Gallatin in Daviess County one night, burning some of 
the houses and robbing others. Another band defeated a 
detachment of State militia under Captain Bogart on the 
Crooked River (October 23), for which revenge was taken 
by a mounted force of Missourians at Hawn's Mill on 
October 30. 

About four days before this attack on Hawn's Mill, Expulsion 
Governor Boggs, who had begun to realize how serious s°a™g*® 
the situation was, ordered General Clark to raise a force 
of 400 mounted men for the protection of the citizens of 
Daviess County, and on the next day he issued to Clark 
an order which has come to be known as the "extermi- 
nating order." After informing Clark that he had just 
received "information of the most appalling character, 
which entirely changes the face of things and places the 
Mormons in the attitude of an open and avowed defiance i. Governor 
of the laws and of having made war upon the people of tem^nating 
the State," he declared that "the Mormons must be Order 
treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven 
from the State if necessary for the public peace." In 
issuing such an order as this. Governor Boggs laid himself 
open to criticism that has been practically unanswerable. 
The best defense that can be made in the governor's 
behalf is in the language that had been used by Rigdon 
in his Fourth of July Speech at Far West, in which he 
had declared that if the Mormons were disturbed by the 
Missourians any further, it should be between them 
a "war of extermination." But this rather extravagant 
language on the part of Rigdon was hardly sufficient 
justification for the harsh official order of the governor. 
From that day to this the Mormons have been able to 
command sympathy for their cause because of Governor 
Boggs' very intemperate language. 

Acting upon the governor's orders, General Lucas 
started with a large force from near Richmond for Far 
West. On hearing of the approach of this force, the 



224 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Surrender 
of Mormons 
to General 
Lucas 



3. Trial of 
Smith and 
Others 



Mormons began to erect a barricade along the south- 
western border of the town for protection. As soon as 
Lucas reached Far West, he demanded that the Mormon 
leaders should be surrendered for trial ; that the rest 
should leave the State ; that all who had taken up arms 
should surrender their property ; and that all should give 
up their arms. His demands were complied with, and 
disbanding the main part of his force he then set out for 
Independence with Smith and five other Mormon leaders 
as prisoners. Later, General Clark came to Far West 
and arrested forty-six additional Mormons and sent them 
to Richmond for trial. He had meanwhile ordered the 
other six Mormon prisoners transferred from Independence 
to Richmond also. 

The trial of these Mormon prisoners was begun before 
Judge A. A. King at Richmond on November 12. A 

long list of witnesses was 
examined, among whom 
were many Mormons who 
gave evidence against the 
prisoners. Most of this 
testimony was very detri- 
mental to the Mormons, 
but they claimed that 
the witnesses had been 
frightened into rendering 
this damaging evidence. 

Several of the defendants 
were discharged for lack of 
sufficient evidence. But 
Smith, Rigdon, and four 
others were ordered committed to jail at Liberty on the 
charge of treason, and five others to the jail at Richmond 
on the charge of murder. Twenty-three others were 
ordered to give bail on the charge of arson, burglary, 
robbery, and larceny. Only eight of these, however, 
could furnish bail. 




The Jail at Liberty, Missouri, 

IN 1838 

In this jail Smith and five other 
Mormons were placed for safe keeping 
after they had been charged with 
treason. From Smith's Young People's 
History. 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 225 

On April 6 Smith and his fellow prisoners were taken 
to Gallatin for trial. Smith and four others were indicted 
immediately for "murder, treason, burglary, arson, lar- 
ceny, theft, and stealing." They at once took a change 
of venue to Boone County, and a few days later they 
started for Columbia, the county seat of that county, 
under guard. But they never reached their destination. 
In some way they managed to make their escape from the 
guard and arrived in Quincy, Illinois, on April 22, where 
they were warmly welcomed by their brethren, who mean- 
while had been driven out of Missouri. 

It will be recalled that the Mormons at Far West had 4- Exodus of 
agreed, on surrendering to General Lucas, to leave the mi'n^s^"'' ^° 
State. But as one might expect, they did not desire to 
leave and hence they sought to find some means of escape 
from the agreement. They invoked the aid of the legis- 
lature and asked for a law that would rescind the extermi- 
nating order of Governor Boggs and set aside the agree- 
ment which they had made with General Lucas. But the 
legislature failed to respond, so the Mormons finally 
gave up all hope of being able to stay in Missouri and 
began to move to Illinois. It was not, however, until 
April 23 that the last of them left Far West. In all about 
15,000 Mormons moved out of the State. 

Their migration was attended by considerable hard- 
ship, chiefly because they had lost a great deal of their 
movable property at the hands of the Missourians during 
the period of strife just preceding their migration. Mis- 
sourians claimed that in taking horses, cattle, hogs, and 
household goods from the Mormons they were merely 
recovering what the Mormons previously had taken from 
them. Many of the Mormons found themselves greatly 
impoverished by the time they reached the Mississippi 
River, 

After they finally settled down in Illinois, they under- 
took to get redress for their grievances. In a petition 
submitted to Congress they stated that their losses in 



226 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Return of 
the Mor- 
mons to 
Missouri 



Missouri had amounted to $2,000,000. But Congress 
declined to have anything to do with the matter, claiming 
that it lay altogether with the State of Missouri. 

With the history of the Mormons in Illinois we are not 
especially concerned. We may be justified, however, in 
noting that they were well received in Illinois ; that 
they settled in a town which they renamed Nauvoo, and 
developed it on a large scale ; that in the course of 
time strife arose between the people of Illinois and the 
Mormons, leading to the arrest of Smith and ultimately 
to his murder in 1844; and that finally in 1848 most of 
them left Illinois and made their way to Utah. It was in 
this latter region that the " forty-niners " on their way to 
the goldfields of California found them making the first 
efforts to establish themselves in a wilderness. 

Shortly after the Civil War the Mormons began to 
come back into Missouri and settle in and around In- 
dependence. By that time different sects had arisen 
among them, the most important being the Utah Mormons 
who followed Brigham Young, and the Reorganized Lat- 
ter Day Saints, who chose as their leader the son of the 
Prophet. But the first Mormon sect to appear at 
Independence was the " Hedrickites," so named after their 
leader, Granville Hedrick, who came from Illinois in 1867. 
Although they have never been a large sect, and even to- 
day (1918) number less than 100, they managed to get 
possession of Temple Lot in Independence shortly after 
they arrived there. Several years ago their title to this 
lot was contested by the Reorganized Latter Day Saints, 
but after a long drawn out and bitter struggle in the 
courts they were able to secure a decision in their favor. 
Notwithstanding their small number, they firmly believe 
that some day they will be able to establish Zion and build 
a temple on this lot in fulfillment of Smith's prophecies. 

The Reorganized Saints now constitute a large part 
of the population of Independence, and although the 
headquarters of their church are at Lamoni, Iowa, it is 



THE MORMON TROUBLES IN MISSOURI 227 

their expectation to move these headquarters to Inde- 
pendence sooner or later. The Utah Mormons also have 
established a stake there, but they are not very numerous 
as yet. Each of these two sects confidently expects some 
day to acquire possession of Temple Lot, and each ex- 
pects also that it will have the honor and glory of build- 
ing the temple. 

REFERENCES 

Linn, Story of the Mormons, pp. 1-2 15. The most complete ac- 
count of the Mormons ever written from the non-Mormon point of 
view. Written directly from the sources. Roberts, The Missouri 
Persecutions. The best account of the Mormon troubles in Missouri 
from the Mormon point of view. Evans, One Hundred Years of 
Mornionism, pp. 1-283. A survey of the history of Mormonism 
from the Mormon point of view. Smith, Joseph, History of Joseph 
Smith, the Prophet. An autobiography which constitutes vol. i of 
A History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Smith 
and Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 
vols, i and ii. The complete work consists of four volumes covering 
in great detail the history of the Mormon church from earliest times, 
with special attention to the religious phase. Published by the 
Reorganized Church, and hence antagonistic to the claims of the 
Utah Mormons. Vida E. Smith, Young People's History of the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, vol. i. A book written 
for young people and richly illustrated. The pictures used in this 
chapter are taken from this book. Lee, The Mormon Menace, pp. 
I- 1 06. An account of the Mormons written by John Doyle Lee in 
1877 after his conviction for murder in the Mountain Meadow 
Massacre in 1857. Originally this book was known as the "Con- 
fessions of John Doyle Lee." Reprinted in 1905 under the title 
first given. The author was executed in 1877. Journal of History, 
a quarterly publication issued by the Reorganized Church and 
edited by Heman C. Smith, the historian of that Church. It 
contains many well-written articles on the Mormon troubles in 
Missouri, all of which are naturally very favorable to the Mormons. 
Boggs, "A Short Biographical Sketch of Governor Lilbum Boggs," 
in the Missouri Historical Review for January, 1910, pp. 106-110. 
Written by the son of the governor at the time of the Mormon 
troubles in Missouri. A defense of the author's father. Smith, 
"Mormon Troubles in Missouri," in the Missouri Historical Review 
for July, 19 10, pp. 238-251. A reply to the article by Boggs in the 
January, 1910, number of the Review. 



CHAPTER XI 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 



First 
Railroads 
in the 
United 
States 



Reasons 

Why 

Missouri 

Delayed 

Building 

Railroads 



I. Conserva- 
tism of 
the People 



[Historical Setting. — i . The Railroads in the United States 
in 1850. 2. The Industrial Development after the Civil War.] 

I. Prior to the Civil War 

The first railroad that was built in the United States 
for the purpose of carrying both passengers and freight 
was the Baltimore and Ohio. The first rail of this road 
was laid on July 4, 1828, by Charles Carroll, who was at 
that time the only surviving signer of the Declaration of 
Independence. At first the cars and coaches were drawn 
by horses, but in a year or two the locomotive engine was 
introduced. By 1830 fifteen miles of this road had been 
completed. Already other railways were being planned 
and in a few years were under construction, so that by 
1850 a little more than gooo miles had been built. 

Notwithstanding all this progress in railroad building 
throughout the United States, not one mile was con- 
structed in Missouri until 185 1, unless a five-mile road 
whose rails and cross-ties were built entirely of timber, 
and which extended from Richmond to a point on the 
Missouri River opposite Lexington, is counted as a rail- 
road. This road was built, it is thought, in 1849 or 1850, 
and was operated by horse power. 

The question naturally arises why Missouri was so 
long without railroads. The answer is to be found first 
of all in the conservative character of the people, which 
has been a marked trait of Missourians throughout their 
history. Railroads were an innovation in 1830, and the 

228 



Highways 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 229 

general feeling in Missouri seems to have been that there 
should be no haste in introducing them. The bitter 
experiences which many other states had had in promoting 
railroads during the thirties no doubt strengthened this 
natural conservativeness of the people of Missouri. Even 
as late as 1847 Governor Edwards said that a campaign 
of education was needed to make the people appreciate 
the uses and advantages of macadamized roads, rail- 
roads, and canals. 

In the second place, the State was fortunate in having 2. Natural 
great natural highways of commerce in the Mississippi 
and the Missouri rivers and their tributaries. The inven- 
tion of the steamboat made these natural highways all the 
more important and profitable to Missouri by establishing 
connections not only with the outside world, but also 
between different parts of the State. Towns sprang up 
along the Mississippi and the Missouri and their tributaries, 
and though they were not large, they did a thriving busi- 
ness. Many of them were connected with the outlying 
districts by well-constructed roads of plank, gravel, or 
rock ; these were, as a rule, toll roads built by private 
parties or companies. There seems never to have been 
any interest in the State in the building of canals as 
many other states were doing at that time. 

In the third place, money was lacking to build and 3-^ Lack of 
operate railroads. The population of Missouri numbered 
only 140,455 in 1830 and only 323,868 in 1840, and capital 
for such enterprises was not available among so few people, 
especially since most of them were engaged in agricul- 
ture. It appears also that eastern capitalists, who to- 
day furnish so much of the capital necessary to promote 
the great enterprises of our country, either were not able 
to take up railroad building in Missouri or did not con- 
sider it to their advantage to do so. From the first it was 
apparent to those who were interested in having railroads 
built in Missouri that assistance must be secured from 
either the National or the State government or from both. 



Money 



230 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Early Agita- 
tion in 
Missouri in 
Favor of 
Railroads 



I. First 
Railroad 
Convention, 
1836 



2. Incor- 
poration of 
Eighteen 
Railroads 
1837 



Inasmuch as this government assistance was a long time 
in materializing, we seem to find here the chief reason for 
the delay in the beginning of railroad construction in 
Missouri. 

It should not be inferred, however, that during these 
twenty years (i 830-1 850) no efforts were made to get 
railroads started in Missouri. Agitation for them began 
rather early and the first step, so far as we know, was 
taken in 1836. On April 30 of that year the first railroad 
convention held in Missouri met at St. Louis. It was 
attended by fifty-nine delegates from eleven different 
counties.^ Resolutions were passed in which the advan- 
tages of railroads were set forth. Two lines of railroads 
running out of St. Louis were recommended : one was to 
go to Fayette by way of St. Charles, Warrenton, Fulton, 
and Columbia for the purpose of opening up an agricul- 
tural region ; the other was to go to the valley of Bellevue 
in Washington County, with a branch as far, at least, as 
the Meramec Iron Works in Crawford County, for the 
purpose of developing a mineral region. Congress was 
petitioned to grant 500,000 acres of public lands to en- 
courage these enterprises, and the suggestion was also 
made that the State of Missouri might well place its 
credit at the disposal of the companies that would under- 
take to build these roads. 

In the fall of the same year in which this convention was 
held. Governor Boggs in his message to the legislature 
expressed himself strongly in favor of a general system 
of railroad construction. Acting under the inspiration of 
this recommendation and doubtless of the resolutions of 
the recent railroad convention, the legislature proceeded 
to incorporate during the months of January and February, 
1837, at least eighteen railroad companies whose aggre- 
gate capital stock amounted to about $7,875,000. The 

1 Tlicse eleven counties were St. Louis, Lincoln, Washington, 
Cooper, Warren, St. Charles, Callaway, Montgomery, Boone, 
Howard, and Jeflferson. 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 231 

roads of these companies were all to be very short, rang- 
ing in length from five to one hundred and twenty miles. 
They were to connect the large county towns with each 
other or with river points. Ten of the eighteen roads 
were to be less than twenty-five miles in length. The 
capital stock of these companies varied from $25,000 to 
$2,000,000, though in most cases it was valued at $150,000 
or less. 

To appreciate this action of the legislature of Missouri, 
one must recall that the early thirties were a period of 
general speculation throughout the whole country, and 
that the Missouri legislature in chartering railroad com- 
panies so freely was only imitating the example of many 
other states. But no progress amounting to anything was 
ever made by these companies toward building roads, for 
which no doubt the panic of 1837 was largely responsible. 

During ten years or more after it had become apparent 3- Decline of 
that none of the companies that had been incorporated j^^firoads" 
in 1837 would ever build any roads, interest in railroads 
declined to a very low state. The board of internal 
improvements which had been created by the legisla- 
ture in 1838 to supervise and control all the State roads, 
railroads, slack water navigation, and canals that might 
be authorized by law wherein the State should own or 
reserve any interests or rights, was abolished in 1845. 
Moreover, the proceeds that had been realized from the 
sale of the 500,000 acres of land granted by Congress for 
the purpose of assisting internal improvements in Mis- 
souri were divided among the counties of the State to be 
used in the construction of roads. While the interest in 
railroads did not die out completely, yet it reached so low 
an ebb that in 1847 Governor Edwards said, as has already 
been mentioned, that it was necessary to begin a campaign 
of education among the people to convince them of the 
advisability of providing the State with railroads. It 
was not until 1850, however, that the people again became 
thoroughly interested in the matter. 



232 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Reasons for 
the Revival 
of Interest 

I. Increase 
in Population 



2. Recovery 
from the 
Panic of 1837 



3. Lack of 
Adequate 
Transporta- 
tion Facili- 
ties 



4. Decline of 
the Santa 
Fe Trade 



The reasons for the revival of interest by that time are 
obvious. In the first place, the population of the State 
had more than quadrupled in the preceding twenty years. 
In 1830 it was 140,455 ; in 1850 it was 682,044. This 
increase in population had taken place not only in 
the older portions of the State — that is, along the 
Missouri and the Mississippi — but also in the more in- 
land parts. 

Not only had there been a marked increase in the 
population of the State by 1850, but the business of the 
country at large had begun to recover from the effects 
of the panic of 1837, and Missouri shared in the general 
revival. Under these circumstances Missourians began 
to realize that their transportation facilities were insuffi- 
cient for a notable expansion of trade and commerce. 
Though the Mississippi and Missouri rivers were the 
natural highways of commerce, navigation upon them 
was as uncertain then as now, especially upon the Mis- 
souri and its tributaries ; and as early as 1838 the State 
had begun to petition Congress to appropriate funds 
toward making these rivers more navigable. Moreover, 
the toll roads that had been built were inadequate except 
for local purposes. If, therefore, the resources of the 
State were to be developed on a large scale, and if the 
commercial interests of St. Louis, the chief trade center 
of the State and of the Mississippi Valley, were to be 
enhanced, it was evident that better transportation facili- 
ties must be secured as soon as possible. 

This fact was brought home to the people of Missouri 
very forcibly by the decline of the Santa Fe trade. From 
182 1 to 1840 commercial adventurers from Missouri, 
especially from St. Louis, had maintained considerable 
trade by means of pack mules and wagons between Mis- 
souri and Mexico, as we have seen in a preceding chapter. 
This trade was at its height in 1828, but after 1840 it 
began to decline. 

Not only had Missouri's trade with Mexico been cut 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 233 

down, but the rapid growth of Chicago as a trading point 5. Rise of 
was threatening the commercial interests of St. Louis ^^'^^^o as 

. a Com- 

and the rest of the State which they had heretofore main- merdai 
tained in the Mississippi Valley. St. Louis had a popu- ^^'^^^^ 
lation of 80,081 in 1850 and was at that time the leading 
manufacturing center in the Mississippi Valley. But 
Chicago was coming on at a markedly rapid pace. It 
had grown from a mere trading post of 4470 inhabitants 
in 1840 to a thriving city of 30,000 in 1850. While it 
was as yet behind St. Louis in manufactures, having only 
about one fourth as much invested capital, it was well 
in the lead in commerce. More corn, wool, lumber, and 
hides were bought and sold in Chicago than in St. Louis. 
This was due partly to the opening up of the Illinois 
and Michigan Canal, which connected Lake Michigan 
and the Illinois River, and partly to the construction of 
several short railroads terminating in Chicago. Realiz- 
ing the vast commercial benefits that were being derived 
through these railroads, Chicago was exerting herself 
tremendously to have them extended so that a larger 
territory might be reached. It seemed evident that if 
matters kept on going as they had started, St. Louis would 
lose most, if not all, of the trade that otherwise her 
natural position would bring her from the upper Mississippi 
and the Illinois country. 

But there' was another unfavorable prospect for St. 6. Unde- 
Louis. Not only was her trade along the upper Missis- Yf'^P^'^ . , 

'^'^ Trade with 

sippi and throughout Illinois thus threatened by the rail- the interior 
ways that were being built out from Chicago, but there °^ ^^^ ^^'^^^ 
was little or nothing being done to increase her trade 
with the interior of Missouri. Even though the trade 
with the upper Mississippi and the Illinois rivers was 
threatened by the rise of Chicago, most of the vessels 
that reached the port of St. Louis in 1849 came from 
those rivers and not from the Missouri. The agricul- 
tural and mineral resources of the State were not being 
worked to anything like their fullest capacity, and hence 



234 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Efforts to 
Obtain Con- 
gressional 
Assistance 



I. Grant of 
500,000 
Acres in 1841 



2. Plans for 
a Trans- 
continental 
Road 



there was no prospect of any great increase in trade with 
the interior of the State. 

At the same time that Missourians were beginning to 
reaHze the necessity of having railroads, they were also 
considering how the funds for constructing them were 
to be obtained. It did not seem possible to obtain the 
necessary money from private capital within the State. 
Even as late as 1850 the population of Missouri was only 
682,044 and the assessed valuation of their property was 
only $89,460,803, and inasmuch as agriculture was still 
the chief industry of the State, there was comparatively 
little available capital for large enterprises like railroads. 

Since, therefore, it seemed impossible to get the neces- 
sary funds for railroads from private capital within the 
State, it was hoped that Congress might do something 
toward building them. We have seen that the railroad 
convention held in St. Louis in 1836 had asked Congress 
to grant 500,000 acres of public land to aid in building 
the two roads that it proposed. Moreover, similar 
petitions were sent to Congress at different times there- 
after, asking for other grants of land. We have also 
seen that Congress had made an actual grant of 500,000 
acres in 1841, which the Missouri legislature voted in 
1845 to dispose of to the counties when it became apparent 
that none of the roads that had been chartered in 1837 
would be built. 

But if there was little in this on which to base any 
great expectations, there was reason to believe, for a 
time at least, that Congress would provide for a trans- 
continental road that would connect the Atlantic and 
the Pacific, and efforts were made to get Congress to 
build this road through Missouri. There was, between 
1840 and 1850, considerable agitation concerning a trans- 
continental road, and after the acquisition of California 
and the discovery of gold in that region, this project was 
discussed more than ever. The question as to where 
this line should cross the Mississippi was a vital one, 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 235 

and three different points were proposed — Prairie du 
Chien in Wisconsin, St. Louis in Missouri, and Memphis 
in Tennessee. People in Missouri were interested in 
having this road pass through St. Louis and across the 
State, and a convention was held in St. Louis in the fall 
of 1849 to foster that scheme. The meetings were at- 
tended by about 1000 delegates, more than one half of 
whom came, as was natural, from Missouri, and more 
than one fourth from Illinois. But there were delegates 
from ten other states, including Pennsylvania, New York, 
Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, 
Louisiana, and Tennessee. 

'As far as practical results are concerned, nothing came 
from this agitation. Senator Benton, it is true, intro- 
duced a bill in the Senate for the building of a road from 
St. Louis to San Francisco out of the nation's resources, 
but it got very little consideration. In fact, as far as 
members of Congress showed any interest in a trans- 
continental railroad at all, they favored a northern route 
in preference to either of the two southern routes that had 
been proposed. 

As it appeared that help from Congress was not to be Grant of 
had, the feeling grew among Missourians that State aid ^***® ^^ 
must somehow be secured. The experience which other 
states had had in attempting to construct and operate 
railroads as state enterprises, or in holding a certain 
amount of stock in railroads, was such as to make it 
inadvisable to do either of these things. Governor i. Governor 
King, therefore, proposed to the legislature in his message ^"^ff ^Z^' 
in 1850 that the State should put its credit to the use Legislature 
of the railroad companies by issuing bonds and lending 
to them the money realized from the sale of these bonds. 
In return the companies were to pay annual interest at 
the rate of six per cent and to pay off the principal in 
twenty years. 

The action taken by the legislature, to which this 2. Law of 
suggestion was made, indicates that it was most heartily ^^^^ 



236 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Issue of 
State Bonds 
to the 
Amount of 
$24,950,000 
by i860 



Construc- 
tion of the 
Roads 



I. Beginning 
of the Pacific 
Railroad in 
1851 



approved. On February 22, 1 8 5 1 , a law was passed which 
granted aid to two railroad companies, the Hannibal and 
St. Joseph and the Pacific. To the former there was 
granted $1,500,000 and to the latter $2,000,000. The 
Hannibal and St. Joseph, which had been incorporated 
in 1847, was to build a road which would connect Hanni- 
bal on the Mississippi with St. Joseph on the Missouri. 
The Pacific, which had been incorporated between 1847 
and 185 1, was to construct a road which would run from 
St. Louis to Jefferson City and from thence to the western 
boundary of the State. 

Now that Missouri had entered upon a policy of grant- 
ing aid in the building of railroads, it was not slow in 
enlarging its plans. By i860 it had issued bonds in 
behalf of six different railroad companies to the extent 
of $24,950,000. The roads of these companies were the 
Hannibal and St. Joseph, now a part of the Burlington 
system ; the Pacific, now a part of the Frisco system ; 
the North Missouri, now a part of the Wabash system; 
the St. Louis and Iron Mountain, now a part of the St. 
Louis and Iron Mountain system ; the Platte County, 
now a part of the Burlington system ; the Cairo and Ful- 
ton, now a part of the St. Louis and Iron Mountain system. 
A few words on the history of the granting of these bonds 
and of the progress made in railroad construction up to 
about i860 are in order at this point. 

Very shortly after the legislature made its first grant 
to railroad companies in 185 1 the work of constructing 
the Pacific was begun. This road was planned to begin 
at St. Louis and to extend to the western boundary of 
the State. The work of construction was inaugurated on 
July 4, 185 1, by Mayor Kennett of St. Louis. But 
progress was very slow for some time, only five miles hav- 
ing been built by the close of 1852. However, the first 
locomotive used west of the Mississippi was placed upon 
its tracks about that time, and regular traffic on the few 
miles that had been built was Ijegun. 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 



237 




The First Locomotive on the North 
Missouri Railroad, now the Wabash 

Note the small size of this type of engine as 
compared with the modern locomotive. 



Meanwhile, the Hannibal and St. Joseph which, as 
we have seen, had also been given aid by the legislature in 
185 1 along with the 



Pacific, had done 
nothing toward con- 
structing its road. 

If the legislature 
had seen fit, it could 
have granted aid to 
other railroad com- 
panies in 185 1, as 
there were many 
applicants for such 
favors. Although 
it declined to make 
numerous or extensive grants at first, the way was opened 
up for those companies that had received grants to ask 
for more help and also for others to submit their claims 
for consideration. When, therefore, the legislature met 
in 1852, it was asked to extend further aid to railroad 
companies, and in December of that year it authorized 
the issuing of railroad bonds to the amount of $4,750,000 
for the benefit of the North Missouri, the St. Louis and 
Iron Mountain, the Pacific, and the Southwest Branch 
of the Pacific.^ 

Meanwhile Congress had given substantial encourage- 
ment to railroads in Missouri in the form of a land grant 
to the State, which was to be used in aiding the construc- 
tion of the Hannibal and St. Joseph and the Pacific roads. 
Similar grants for other roads were made at later times. 

Notwithstanding this liberal patronage of the State 
and the National governments, progress in actual con- 
struction was very slow. It soon became apparent that 

^ The grants of 1851 and 1852 amounted to $8,250,000 as follows : 
Pacific, $3,000,000 ; Southwest Branch, $1,000,000 ; Hannibal and 
St. Joseph, $1,500,000; North Missouri, $2,000,000; St. Louis and 
Iron Mountain, $750,000. 



3. Grant of 
Lands by 
Congress 



4. Delay in 
Construction 



238 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(a) Legisla- 
tive Inquiry 



(b) Report 
of the Legis- 
lative Corn- 



more money was needed to complete the roads than had 
been anticipated at the outset. The actual cost of con- 
struction was from thirty to one hundred per cent greater 
than had been expected. Moreover, the bonds that had 
been issued by the State to the railroad companies had 
been sold at a great discount, owing to the scarcity of 
money. Under these circumstances the companies asked 
the legislature in 1855 for further assistance. 

As was natural, people began to ask why greater progress 
in construction had not been made and why the legislature 
should be asked to give more help. There was much talk 
of waste and jobbery, and the legislature appointed a 
commission to investigate the matter. 

The commission found that of the $8,250,000 which 
had already been granted to the railroad companies in 
bonds of the State, only $4,580,000 had up to that time 
actually been issued to them, and that less than one hun- 
dred miles of railway were in operation. It also found the 
different roads in varying stages of construction. The 
Pacific, which was the only company that had taken up 
the entire amount of the bonds that had been granted 
to it, was also the only one that had made anything like 
real progress in road building, having constructed its 
road as far as Jefferson City. The North Missouri, 
however, had built only a little way beyond St. Charles, 
and while the Hannibal and St. Joseph and the St. Louis 
and Iron Mountain had considerable portions of their 
roads under construction, neither road was completed. 
The commission also found that the actual cost had been 
greater than had at first been anticipated, but it exoner- 
ated the companies of any graft in the matter of salaries, 
engineering expenses, or the letting of contracts for work or 
materials. It concluded its report by expressing the hope 
that the legislature would see its way clear to extend 
such further aid as would enable these companies to com- 
plete the construction of their roads. 

Acting imder the findings and recommendations of 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 239 

this investigating commission, the legislature granted 5. Legislative 
$11,000,000 in State bonds to the various railroad com- Grants, 1855 
panics whereby they might complete what they had 
begun. ^ 

At the same time that these new grants were made, the 
legislature provided for a general board of public works 
through which the State would be able to keep in touch 
with the workings of the railroads all the time and to 
look after its own interests therein. 

Now that the railroad companies had secured addi- 6. Gascon- 
tional help from the State, the work of construction was ^g^ ^^^^ ' 
taken up again and pushed as rapidly as possible. In 
fact, it is quite evident that some of the work was done 
in a very hasty and imperfect manner. The Gasconade 
River bridge disaster of November i, 1855, on the Pa- 
cific, is evidence of this haste in construction. On that 
day an excursion train of ten passenger cars was started 
from St. Louis to Jefferson City. The road had just been 
completed to the latter point, and the excursion was 
planned in honor of that event. At about noon the train 
reached the Gasconade River. The stone piers and 
abutments of the bridge over this river had been com- 
pleted, but the superstructure was as yet unfinished. A 
temporary superstructure had been constructed in order 
that .this train might cross over. It was not strong 
enough, however, to bear the weight of the heavily loaded 
train, and most of the cars were dropped into the river. 
Several of the passengers, among whom were some very 
prominent citizens, were killed outright, and many others 
were seriously injured. 

In spite of the fact, however, that extensive grants 7. Last 
had been made to the railroad companies, it was evi- Q^^^f^js^ 
dent that all of them except the Hannibal and St. Joseph 

1 This grant was distributed as follows : Pacific and Southwest 
Branch, $5,000,000; Hannibal and St. Joseph, $1,500,000; North 
Missouri, $2,000,000; St. Louis and Iron Mountain, $2,250,000; 
Cairo and Fulton, $250,000. 



240 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Railroad 
Mileage in 
Missouri in 
i860 



Default of 
Railroads 
in Payment 
of Interest 



were by the close of 1856 very greatly in need of more 
money. Once more they appealed to the legislature 
for help, and in 1857 another grant was made, this time 
for $5,700,000.^ 

This proved to be the last grant made to the railroad 
companies by the State. An effort was made in i860 
to obtain another one, but it failed. Thereafter no further 
attempt was ever made. 

As has already been said, Missouri had by i860 au- 
thorized bonds to the amount of $24,950,000 in favor of 
six different railroad companies, or of seven if the South- 
west Branch of the Pacific is counted as a separate road. 
Thanks to this generosity on the part of the State, which 
seems to have been inspired by a spirit of speculation 
almost reckless in character, 715 miles of railroad track 
had been laid by i860. The Hannibal and St. Joseph 
had been completed early in 1859 ; during the same year 
the North Missouri reached Macon, where it touched the 
Hannibal and St. Joseph, and the St. Louis and Iron 
Mountain was built to Pilot Knob. Meanwhile, the 
Pacific was completed to Syracuse, 168 miles west from 
St. Louis ; but the other three roads, the Southwest 
Branch of the Pacific, the Cairo and Fulton, and the 
Platte County, were as yet in a very incomplete condi- 
tion. 

2. Since the Civil War 

As might be expected, the period of the Civil War was 
one of setbacks and financial difficulties for the railroad 
companies of Missouri. Much of the disaster that over- 
took them was due to the war ; but even if the war had 
not occurred, it is quite evident from the developments 
of the years 1859 and i860 that the railroad companies 

^ This amount was distributed as follows: Pacific, $1,000,000; 
Southwest Branch, $1,500,000; North Missouri, $1,500,000; St. 
Louis and Iron Mountain, $600,000 ; Platte County, $700,000 ; 
Cairo and Fulton, $400,000. It should be noted that the Platte 
County got its first grant at this time. 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 24 1 

were facing bankruptcy. On January i, 1859, the North 
Missouri and the St. Louis and Iron Mountain failed to 
pay the interest due on the bonds that the State had 
issued in their favor. During i860 the Pacific, the South- 
west Branch, the Cairo and Fulton, and the Platte 
County likewise defaulted. Only one company, the 
Hannibal and St. Joseph, continued to meet regularly 
the interest charges during the Civil War period. At 
no time, however, did the other companies ever resume 
payment of interest on their State railroad bonds. 

The causes for the default of these railroad companies 
were the lack of traffic, the unproductive character of 
the land grants that were given them, the excessive cost 
of construction, and the loose management of finances. 
In fact the looseness with which the finances of the com- 
panies were conducted almost warrants the charge that 
fraud and corruption were practiced by those in au- 
thority. 

This defaulting of the railroad companies in the pay- 
ment of interest on their bonds put a very heavy finan- 
cial burden upon the State, inasmuch as it was compelled 
to pay the interest on these bonds in order to keep up its 
credit. This burden was thrown upon the State at a 
time when it needed its strength for the still greater 
burden that the war was destined to bring. 

In spite of the fact that all of the railroad companies Private 

but one were faiHng to meet their payments of interest, }f^^^ *° ^^^ 

Railroads 
the delinquents were actually asking for more help from 

the State. No one of these delinquents had completed 
its road, and inasmuch as the only company that was not 
behind in its payment of interest had finished the con- 
struction of its road by 1859, the other companies hoped 
that if they could only find the means whereby they could 
complete their roads, they too would be able to pay their 
interest charges. It was out of the question, however, 
for the State to extend any more aid, but the legislature 
enacted certain measures which authorized two of the 



242 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



companies, the Pacific and the North Missouri, to borrow 
money wherever they could find it, and to give mort- 
gages of such a character as to make those who would 
lend to the railroad companies the first creditors instead 
of the State of Missouri. 



Railroad 
Mileage in 
Missouri in 
186s 




Railroads in Missoum in 1865 
From Million's State Aid to Railroads in Missouri. 

From the money that was thus realized from such loans 
and from bonds issued by St. Louis County, the Pacific 
was enabled to resume the work of construction in 1865, 
and by the end of that year its road was completed to 
Kansas City. The first passenger train from Kansas 
City to St. Louis made the trip on September 20, 1865. 

The North Missouri was not as fortunate as the Pacific 
in borrowing money, but it got enough during 1865 to 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 243 

begin the construction of a branch from Moberly to St. 
Joseph and to begin a bridge across the Missouri at St. 
Charles. However, neither the bridge nor any part of 
the branch road was completed by the end of that year. 

The only other roads aside from the Pacific that actually 
added to their mileage during the war were the Cairo and 
Fulton and the Platte Country, formerly called the Platte 
County. But the sum total of mileage constructed dur- 
ing the war period was small, amounting to only 113 miles, 
94 of which were on the Pacific. If we take into consider- 
ation the financial straits into which the companies had 
fallen, the actual destruction of many parts of the roads 
by hostile armies, especially of the Pacific and the North 
Missouri, and the generally unfavorable situation, we are 
somewhat amazed that anything at all was done toward 
extending the roads during this period. 

In view of the fact that all of the railroad companies Sale of the 
except the Hannibal and St. Joseph had discontinued ^353"^°* ^' 
paying interest on their State bonds, and that there was 
no prospect of their ever resuming this payment, not- 
withstanding the revival of business after the close of 
the war, the legislature decided to foreclose their mort- 
gages on the roads and apply the proceeds upon the in- 
debtedness of the State. Laws were therefore passed 
during 1866 and 186S providing for the sale of the roads 
of the defaulting companies. By March, 1868, all of 
them were sold and the State's lien on them was released. 

The total amount of the railroad indebtedness of the i. Amount 
State in bonds and interest on January i, 1868, was fr^^'^he 
$31,735,840. Of this amount $23,701,000 represented the Sale 
principal of the bonds ; ^ the remainder, $8,034,840, 

^ The State had authorized the issue of bonds up to the amount 
of $24,950,000, as was brought out in an earlier portion of this 
chapter, but the North Missouri forfeited $1,100,000 and the 
St. Louis and Iron Mountain $99,000 because of their defaulting in 
the payment of interest. In this way the principal of the State's 
indebtedness had been kept down to $23,701,000. 



244 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



represented the interest. The amount received from 
the sale of the roads and from the deHnquent companies 
was only $6,131,496. When this amomit was applied 
to the State indebtedness, it was brought down to 
$24,604,344. 
2. Farcical Perhaps no chapter in the financial history of the State 

^nr^s^k'"" is as shameful as this one regarding the sale of the rail- 
roads. Charges of bribery and corruption were made 
on all sides, and if no other evidence was available, the 
way in which the legislature pretended to carry on an 
investigation regarding these charges would be suffi- 
ciently conclusive that they were well founded. On 
March 23, 1868, only a few days after the sale of the St. 
Louis and Iron Mountain, the Cairo and Fulton, the 
North Missouri, the Southwest Branch, and the Platte 
Country roads, and only a few days before the sale of 
the Pacific, the legislature appointed a joint committee 
of the two houses to investigate the charges of corrup- 
tion and bribery. While some of the members of this 
committee had not voted for the releasing of the State's 
lien on the roads after they had been sold, yet the leaders 
of the committee were men who had been very energetic 
in securing that action and who had been all but open 
agents of the companies that bought up the roads. More- 
over, the committee was given only one day to gather its 
information and make its report. As a consequence this 
report, as may well be imagined, was most farcical. 

However, when the sales were made, conditions were 
imposed upon the purchasing companies which in them- 
selves were very desirable. All of the roads that were 
sold were unfinished, and the State released her lien upon 
them on condition that they should be completed within 
a given time. The purchasing companies met these con- 
ditions, thus adding 626 miles of railroads to what had 
already been built in the State by the time the railroads 
had been sold. This brought the sum total railroad 
mileage in Missouri up to 1450 miles. 



3. Condi- 
tions Im- 
posed on the 
l\irchasing 
Companies 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 245 

For years the State struggled with this heavy railroad 4. Liquida- 
indebtedness, to which had meanwhile been added the g^^'Ig^j^gL 
Civil War debt, but it finally cleared itself of this burden 
by 1903. 

But the experience of the State had been a bitter one, 
and when the constitution was revised in 1875, it con- 
tained a clause which prohibited the use of the credit of 
the State to assist any private or corporate enterprise 
whatsoever. Through this provision the State has saved 
itself from any repetition of the experiences of the fifties 
and sixties. 

Notwithstanding all these severe trials of the State, County and 

there is another chapter in the history of railroads in ^"^"p*.^, 
. '^ . -' AidtoRail- 

Missouri that is quite as disgraceful as the one we have roads in 
just finished. With the restoration of peace at the close Missouri 
of the Civil War, there came a great expansion of trade. 
It was apparent under these conditions that there were 
not enough railroads in the State. Large sections of 
Missouri were without any at all, and the people wanted 
them very much. Many plans were proposed for supply- 
ing railroads, most of which included county and munici- 
pal aid. Companies were formed and railroads pro- 
jected, and counties and cities were asked to issue bonds 
to assist in building these new roads. Many of them 
voted bonds during the sixties and seventies and issued 
them to the companies that had been organized. In 
some cases the roads were built according to the original 
contract, but in many instances they were not built at 
all, in spite of the fact that the bonds had been issued to 
the companies and had been sold by them. The de- 
frauded counties tried to resist the payment of their 
bonds, but the courts decided against them and gave 
judgment for the bondholders. There are yet several 
counties that are struggling with their old debts for rail- 
roads that were either never started or never completed, 
and in many of them there may yet be found the old 
roadbeds of some of the unfinished roads. 



240 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Railroad 
Develop- 
ment in 
Missouri 
since 1865 



In Spite of all these drawbacks and disgraceful features, 
the railroads have been an indispensable means of de- 
veloping the resources of Missouri, and a network of them 
has been built over the State, which in 19 14 amounted 




Railroads in Missouri in 1918 

Adapted from the map issued by the State Public Utilities 
Commission of Missouri. 

to 8208 miles.' At present (1918) every one of the 114 
counties except Ozark, Dallas, and Douglas has at least 
one railroad of some sort passing through it. 

It should be noted here that the first railroads built 
in Missouri were intrastate roads. Up to at least the 
close of the Civil War there was no intention of extending 
beyond its borders a road begun within the State, or of 

* There were in the United States that year (191 4) 251,027 miles 
of railroad. 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 247 

making any road a part of great interstate systems. 
The roads of Missouri were to run from one point to an- 
other within the State. The Hannibal and St. Joseph 
and the Pacific were, for example, to cross the State 
from the eastern border to the western, the former from 
Hannibal to St. Joseph and the latter from St. Louis to 
Kansas City ; and the North Missouri, the St. Louis 
and Iron Mountain, and the Southwest Branch were to 
radiate from St. Louis in different directions to the dif- 
ferent borders of the State. 

But though none of the Missouri roads was to cross i- Establish - 
the border lines of the State, it was expected that other J^^tgrstate 
lines would be built in the neighboring states to the ter- Systems 
minations of the Missouri roads and thus give the State 
connections with the outside world. The first of these 
connections to be secured was with the East. By i860 
railroads had been built to St. Louis which gave her con- 
nection with Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, and 
by 1863 St. Louis was able to reach the Atlantic coast 
by way of the railroads that were completed in that year 
between St. Louis and Chicago, the latter place having 
enjoyed railroad connection with the Atlantic coast since 

1853- 

By 1870 Missouri had considerably increased her 
railroad connection with the outside world. From St. 
Louis lines had been built that gave her access to such 
points in the South as New Orleans, Mobile, Nashville, 
Atlanta, and Charleston, but as yet she was without 
connection with Arkansas or that part of Louisiana west 
of the Mississippi, or with Texas. Other lines also had 
been built giving her access to such northern points as 
Des Moines, St. Paul, and Omaha. 

Kansas City was by this time coming to be a railroad 
center in both State and interstate traffic. Many of the 
new roads in Kansas were built to Kansas City, and con- 
nections were established there with the newly built 
road to the Pacific coast. 



248 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



By 1880 railroad connections were made between Mis- 
souri and the great southwest and northwest portions of 
our country. By means of the Missouri, Kansas and 
Texas, and other roads built through to Texas, a large 
scope of territory was made commercially tributary to 
St. Louis and other trade centers in the State. Since 




The Principal Railroads West of the Mississippi in i{ 



2. Consoli- 
dation of the 
Railroads 



1880 the railroad connections with the Southwest and 
Northwest have been increased, and new sections of these 
regions have been opened up to Missouri trade. 

While this expansion was going on among the rail- 
roads in and out of the State, a process of consolidation 
was also taking place. In fact, this consolidation was one 
of the things that made this remarkable expansion possible. 
By 1898 twelve companies owned 85 per cent of the rail- 
roads of Missouri, and practically all of these twelve 
companies were parts of interstate systems. 



THE RAILROADS OF MISSOURI 



249 



REFERENCES 

Million, Stale Aid to Railways in Missouri. The only real 
authority on the subject of early railroads in Missouri. One of 
the best monographs that has been written on topics in Missouri 
history. It deals chiefly with the loans that were made by the State 
to the early railroads in Missouri. The material for this chapter 
was drawn largely from this book. Encyclopedia 0} Missouri 
History, vol. v, pp. 275-291. Four short articles, one dealing with 
the railroads of the State in general and the other three with the 
railroads of St. Louis, Kansas City, and St. Joseph. 




Kansas City as a Railroad Center 



CHAPTER XIJ 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 



[Historical Setting. — The Compromise of 1850.] 



Early Life 
of Benton 



I. Removal 
to Tennessee 



• In 185 1 Thomas Hart Benton, after having served 
Missouri in the United States Senate continuously for 
thirty years/ was defeated for reelection. So prominent 
and influential had he been in the affairs of the State and 
the nation, that some explanation must be given for his 
downfall. And if this is to be done satisfactorily, a few 
things should be said first about his early career and the 
political situation in Missouri during the period of his un- 
questioned supremacy. 

Benton was bom in North Carolina on March 14, 1782, 
of English and Scotch parentage. When he was a boy of 
eight years, his father died, leaving the care of a large 
family to his mother. He did not have very extensive 
educational privileges, attending first a grammar school 
kept by a New England emigrant to North Carolina, and 
afterward the University of North Carolina for not more 
than a year. In 1799 he went with his mother to Ten- 
nessee and settled upon a large grant of land which his 
father had secured not very far from Nashville. Ten- 
nessee was at that time but sparsely settled, and "the 
widow Benton's settlement" was on the border line 
between civilization and the powerful southern Indian 
tribes. Young Benton was put in charge of the planta- 
tion and apparently was successful in developing it. 

^ This record has been equaled only once in Missouri history. 
Francis M. Cockrell served in the United States Senate from 1875 to 
1905. 

250 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 25 1 
But he was not destined to remain a plantation owner. 2. in 



Tennessee 
Politics 



the War of 

1812 



He looked toward the law as a profession, and soon took to 
teaching school and to reading law during the winter 
seasons. In 1806 he was admitted to the bar. At that 
time there was much dissatisfaction in Tennessee with the 
existing judicial system, and Benton interested himself in 
its reform. A series of articles which he published on the 
subject may possibly have led to his election to the Ten- 
nessee senate in i8og. During his term of one year he 
introduced the bill that remodeled the judiciary of that 
state and he also interested himself in a number of other 
things, such as the trial of slaves and the preemption of 
government lands. 

Shortly before the War of 18 12 broke out, his health 3- Service in 
began to fail and he was threatened with consumption, 
the same disease that had caused the death of his father 
and five of his brothers. He was in great despair over 
the matter and "is said to have hailed the outbreak of the 
war as an opportunity to end his life in action rather than 
in the slow progress of a fatal disease." He therefore 
raised a regiment of Tennessee recruits and placed it under 
General Andrew Jackson, with whom he had been on 
intimate ternis for some time. But Benton's ambitions 
were never realized, greatly to his disappointment. His 
Tennessee regiment was never called into active service, 
and, although he was later made a lieutenant colonel 
in the regtdar army and started for Canada, peace came 
before he could get into any engagement. The open air 
life, however, cured him of the incipient disease, and he 
came out of his service in the amiy a very vigorous man. 

Unfortunately he and Jackson fell into a violent quarrel 4- Quarrel 
during the war. While he was off on a trip to Washing- j^^kson ' 
ton in 18 13 and incidentally doing Jackson a great service 
there, Jackson consented to act as a second in behalf of a 
man named Carrol in a duel with Benton's brother. When 
Benton returned and found out what had happened, he 
was furious and denounced Jackson in unmeasured terms. 



252 



IIISrORV OF MISSOURI 



whereupon Jackson swore publicl}^ that he would horse- 
whip Benton at their next meeting. Sure enough, the 
next time they met they fell upon one another in true 




Missouri Counties in 1830 

Rci)roducc(l by permission of the Political Science De- 
I)artmcnt of the University of Missouri. By comparing this 
map with the one for 1821 on page 81, and with the five maps that follow 
in this chapter, one may trace the growth in the number of counties in Missouri 
during Benton's career as United States Senator from Missouri, that is, from 
1821 to 1851. 



frontier fashion, and in the fight Jackson was badly 
wounded. This occurred on Sei^tcmbcr 4, 1813. 

Early Career This encounter proved Benton's undoing in Tennessee. 

in St. Louis "Jackson was both j^owerful and j^opular in Tennessee 



Till'. DOWNFALL OF THOALVS HART BFNTTOX 253 

and his friends made it hot for the Bentons." When, 
later, tlie \'ictory at New Orleans raised Jackson's popu- 
larity still higher, Benton had no prospect whatsoever of 
succeeding in Tennessee. For that reason he moved to 




Missouri Counties in 1834 



Reproduced by permission of the Political Science Depart- 
ment of the University of Missouri. 



.^>, 



St. Louis some time between 18 15 and 1S17, and settled 
down to make for himself a career in this new. field. 

He found that it was necessary to learn a new system }■ Entry 
of law and to learn to speak French, which was still 
the chief language of St. Louis. By reason of his un- 
bounded energy and industry he made himself proficient 



254 



ITTSTORV OF MISSOURI 



in these things and soon l)uilt up a good law practice, 
especially in land cases. But he "paid more attention to 
politics than to law" and was soon making himself felt 




Missouri Counties in 1837 

Reproduced by permission of the Political Science 
Department of the University of Missouri. 



in public affairs. In 1817 he was appointed a member of 
the first Board of School Trustees of St. Louis, and in 
1819 he became one of the editors of the St. Louis Enquirer 
and later part owner of that publication. 
2. Editor of Through the columns of the Enquirer he discussed the 
the Ruquircr Q^^i^^Q-^t issucs, national and local. Among the first to 



TTTE DOWNFATJ. OF TIIOISrAS HART BFNTON 255 

engage his attention was the treaty that was made between 
Spain and the United States whereby we obtained Florida 
and in return rehnquished all our elaims to Texas as a part 
of the Louisiana Purchase. Benton was very mueh opposed 
to our giving up Texas and wrote several strong articles 
for the Enquirer against that treaty, as well as against the 




Missouri Counties in 1841 

Reproduced by permission of the Political Science 
Department of the University of Missouri. 



one made in 18 18 with Great Britain for the joint occupa- 
tion of the Oregon country. It is significant that at that 
time in his life he formulated some of those ideas and 
opinions concerning the significance of the West that later 
distinguished him from most of his associates in the United 
States Senate. He also wrote some very telling articles on 
the delay of Congress in admitting Missouri into the Union. 



256 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



.v EK-cliiin 
to the United 
States Senate 



He was not a member of the constitutional convention 
of 1820 that framed Missouri's first constitution, but he 
claims to have been instrumental in getting that body to 
incorporate in the constitution a provision that no slaves 
should be emancipated in Missouri without the consent 
of their owners or without compensation. As we have 




Missouri Counties in 1845 

Reproflured by permission of tlie Political Science Dc 

of till' l'ni\'ersit\- of Missouri. 



already seen in another chapter, he was elected one of the 
first two United States Senators from Missouri in 1820 
under circumstances of exceedingly great interest. He 
soon took high rank in the Senate, and the influence he 
exercised there reacted in his favor upon his constitu- 
ents, who felt flattered tJhat a representative from the 
most frontier state of the time should be so potent a 
factor in tlie affairs of the nation. 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 257 



This is not the place, however, to follow his career in the 
Senate except as to what he did in that body which con- 
tributed to his downfall, and as we shall see in outlining 
the course of events that culminated in his retirement 
from the Senate, there was no occasion for his constituents 
to criticize his acts or policy until near the close of his 




Missouri Counties in 1851 

Reproduced by permission of the Political Science 
Department of the University of Missouri. 

fourth term. We shall not, therefore, undertake to deal 
with his career in the Senate prior to 1844. 

By 1844, however, some very interesting and important Political De- 
political developments had taken place in Missouri, and {nM^souri 
since Benton had much to do with those developments, 1820-44 
and since they furnish a background for his later career, 
which we wish to take up in detail, it will be well to deal 
with them here. 



20 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. "Era of 

(iood 

Feeling" 



2. Early 
Elections in 
Missouri 
Not on Party 
Lines 



3. Missouri 
and the 
Presidential 
Election of 
1824 



Missouri came into the Union at a time when there was 
only one party of any importance in national politics — 
the Democratic-Republican party which had been founded 
by Jefferson. The Federalist party had begun to disappear 
when Monroe was first elected in 18 16, and was completely 
gone by 1820, when he was reelected with only one electoral 
vote against him. This was the "Era of Good Feeling." 

But matters could not long remain that way. Within 
the next ten or twelve years the Democratic party was 
reorganized under Andrew Jackson, and shortly after 
that the Whig party came into existence through the 
union of a great many heterogeneous parties and factions 
as the party of opposition to the Democrats. The rise 
and development of these two parties in Missouri need 
our attention for a few moments at least. 

Until the new Democratic party began to be formed, 
Missourians cared but little for parties, and elections for 
State and local offices turned more on men than on parties. 
McNair was elected governor in 1820, Bates in 1824, and 
Miller in 1825 ^ and again in 1828, not as candidates of 
parties but as popular individuals. Likewise John Scott 
was elected as Missouri's Representative in Congress in 
1820, 1822, and 1824 because of his personal popularity, 
and possibly but for the vote that he cast for Adams for 
President in 1824, when the election was thrown into the 
House of Representatives, he would have been reelected 
at least once more. Since this Presidential election was 
productive of direct results of considerable importance in 
Missouri i)olitics, it is well that a few words should be said 
about it here. 

It will be remembered that there were four candidates 
for the Presidency in 1824 — John Oviincy Adams, Jackson, 
Clay, and Crawford — all of them belonging to the old 
Democratic jjarty. It was a "scrub race for the Presi- 
dency," all the old Revolutionary "war horses" having 

' Bates (HlcI sliortly after his inauguratiun and Miller was elected 
to fill out his unexpired term. 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 259 

either died or retired from public life. Clay was very 
popular in Missouri, having been nominated by the 
Missouri legislature and having been supported by 
Barton, Benton, and Scott, and he received more votes 
in the State than all the other candidates together/ 
But when the election was thrown into the House because 
no one of the candidates received a majority of the electoral 
votes, it fell to Scott, Missouri's sole Representative, to 
decide how the vote of Missouri should be cast. Clay's 
name was never presented to the House because of a 
constitutional provision that only the three receiving the 
highest electoral vote should be submitted to that body. 
Clay favored Adams and did all he could to throw the 
support he had received in the popular election to Adams. 
Barton was also for Adams, but Adams had polled a very 
small vote in the State and there was, therefore, very little 
reason to ask that Missouri should vote for Adams except 
that Clay had requested it. On the other hand, Benton 
had come out strongly for Jackson, and Jackson contended 
that since he had received a plurality of votes in the 
popular election throughout the country, he was entitled 
to the election in the House. Benton and Jackson had 
meanwhile renewed their friendship, and Benton felt that 
since Jackson had received more votes in Missouri than 
Adams, Scott should cast his vote in the House for Jack- 
son. But Scott finally decided to vote for Adams, and in 
1826 he paid the penalty for doing so by being defeated 
for reelection. Likewise Barton was defeated for re- 
election to the Senate in 1830. 

By 1830 the foundations of the Jackson party had been 4- Forma- 
laid both in Missouri and in the country at large. In Jackson 
1828 Jackson carried every county in the State and was Party in 
elected to the Presidency over Adams by an overwhelm- 
ing majority throughout the country. Since Benton had 
championed the cause of Jackson in the State and had 
taken the lead in it, he became the most influential and 
^ Clay, 1401 ; Jackson, 987 ; Adams, 311 ; Crawford, none. 



26o HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

powerful man in Missouri politics. His controlling in- 
fluence is seen in the part he played in the election of the 
Representative to Congress in 1828. Bates was a candi- 
date to succeed himself, having been elected first in 1826. 
But by 1828 he had become an Adams or anti- Jackson 
man, and was of course no longer acceptable to Benton 
and the Jackson men in Missouri. In order to defeat 
him, however, it was necessary to eliminate one of the 
two Jackson candidates that had come out against him. 
Benton was asked to decide between the Jackson can- 
didates, and he promptly decided that Lane should with- 
draw and that Pettis should be the Jackson candidate. 
Handbills announcing the decision that had been made 
were then printed and sent to all parts of the State. 
The result was that Pettis was elected over Bates by a 
vote of 8272 to 3400. 

The race for governor in 1828 was unique in that Miller, 
the Jackson candidate, had no opponents. For some time 
various Adams men were suggested as likely candidates for 
the governorship, but none of them stayed in the race to 
the end, and Miller was finally elected without opposition. 

In 1830 Barton paid the penalty for having supported 
Adams in the contest for the Presidency in the House in 
1824, and was defeated for reelection to the Senate largely 
because Benton turned against him. In the ten years 
that had elapsed since Barton had, by great exertion and 
at the risk of his own popularity, secured the election of 
Benton to the Senate, Benton had come to regard Barton 
as a personal enemy, and finally secured his defeat. The 
history of Missouri presents no parallel to this case.' 

In the campaign of 1832 Jackson not only carried the 
State of Missouri for himself against Clay, but he carried 

1 Barton tried to recover his lost prestige by coming out as the 
anti- Jackson candidate for Congress in 1832, but failed. He was 
later elected to the State senate and died in 1837. He was a brilliant 
man and played a very important part in the forming of our first 
constitution. But he was very dissipated and died a raving maniac. 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 26 1 

the whole Democratic State ticket mth him. Dunklin 
was elected governor on that ticket by a majority of iioo 
over all other candidates. By that year Missouri was 
definitely committed to the Democratic party and re- 
mained so until the Civil War broke out. Both the 
national and the State Democratic tickets were elected 
in Missouri in every campaign during this interval of 
thirty years. 

Notwithstanding this Democratic preponderance, a 5- Forma- 
very respectable Whig party had arisen in Missouri, ^yy^p^j^j.^ 
In it were to be found many of the merchants of the State, in Missouri 
especially those of the city of St. Louis, and also many 
of the leading people in the counties along the upper 
Mississippi and in the Boone's Lick country. "For 
years Boone County was the banner Whig county of the 
State." 

It was not long, however, before the Democrats began Split in the 
to suffer division, as every party does that greatly out- p^^y^^^^^ 
numbers its opponents for any length of time. The Missouri 
different factions among the Democrats in Missouri 
came to be known as the "Hards " and the "Softs," or the 
Bentonites and the anti-Bentonites. In order to under- 
stand this schism, a few words of special explanation are 
necessary. 

Banking and the currency issue were responsible for i. "Hards" 
the origin of the factions known as the " Hards " and the 
"Softs." In a preceding chapter the history of these 
subjects has been developed as far as the financial phases 
were concerned, so that it is not necessary to review 
them here. But the political phase needs now to be set 
forth. 

It will be recalled that after the Second United States 
Bank went out of existence in 1836, Missouri chartered 
the Bank of the State of Missouri and authorized it to issue 
bank notes. Banks of a similar nature were chartered in 
other states, so that by the close of the thirties bank notes 
from a host of state banks were in circulation throughout 



262 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(a) Benton, 
a "Hard" 
Money Man 



(b) Opposi- 
tion of the 
"Softs" to 
Benton 



the country. These notes were presumably redeemable 
in specie on demand, but there was always more or less 
uncertainty as to whether the banks would always be able 
to respond to the demands that might be made upon them. 
A crisis was reached in banking in Missouri in 1839 when, 
because so many banks in other states were suspending 
specie payments, the Bank of the State of Missouri re- 
fused to accept or pay out the notes of those banks that 
had suspended specie payment. Men found themselves 
in the possession of the notes of these banks and naturally 
wanted them to remain negotiable. Those who favored 
the continued use of paper currency, especially that of the 
banks outside of Missouri, were called "Softs," while 
those who were opposed to it and who advocated the use 
of gold and silver as the only media of exchange were 
called "Hards." 

Benton was an uncompromising " hard " money man, and 
was dubbed "Old Bullion" because of his attitude on the 
currency question. He exerted all his powers to induce 
the legislature of Missouri to pass laws which would 
banish from the State the "wildcat" and the "dog" paper 
currency of banks outside of Missouri. He was especially 
opposed to the circulation of all kinds of bank notes under 
$20 for the reason that, when they depreciated in value, 
the people of small means would sustain a loss heavier in 
proportion than would the wealthy people. The large 
notes, he said, never circulated to any great extent, and 
when they depreciated in value the loss would fall not 
upon the poorer people, as a rule, but upon the wealthy in 
whose possession they were most likely to be found. 

But the " Softs " were able to muster enough strength 
to prevent the proposals of laws that Benton sent to the 
Missouri legislature from being adopted in full. The 
" Softs " were not onl}^ able to do that, but they suc- 
ceeded in 1841 in getting the Bank of the State of Mis- 
souri to rescind its action of 1839 against receiving the 
currency of banks suspending specie payment. The 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 263 

result of this situation was to drive the "Softs" into 
open opposition to Benton. 

Meanwhile other issues had arisen in the State which 2. other 
forced themselves upon Benton, and since he espoused the ^^"^^ 
unpopular side in each of them, they tended to increase 
the opposition that was rising against him. These issues 
were over the limitation of the terms of the judges, the 
reapportionment of representation in the lower house of 
the legislature, and the adoption of the district system in 
the election of Congressmen. The constitution of Mis- 
souri provided that the judges should be appointed by the («) Tenure 
governor for life, but sentiment was developing rapidly " " ^^^ 
against this sort of arrangement and the demand was 
being made that judges should be elected for definite terms. 

The constitution of Missouri also provided that each (b) Repre- 
county should have at least one representative in the ^j^^ Leds- 
general assembly, but that the whole niimber of repre- lature 
sentatives should not exceed 100. When the constitution 
was made in 1820, there were 43 members in the lower 
house distributed among 15 counties. By 1836 the 
number of counties had been increased to 60 and the 
number of representatives to 98. In 184 1 these counties 
had been increased to 7 7 and the number of representatives 
to 100, the constitutional limit. When in 1841-42 the 
legislature created 19 new counties, it was found neces- 
sary, in order to observe the constitutional requirement 
that each county should have at least one representative, 
to reduce all but two counties to just one representative 
each. The two exceptions were Platte, which was given 
two representatives, and St. Louis, which was given four. 
This brought on a situation of great and growing in- 
equality. Caldwell County, for example, with a total 
population of 1583, had one representative, while Boone 
County, with a total population of 14,290, also had only one 
representative, and St. Louis County, with a population of 
47,668, had only four representatives or approximately 
one for every 12,000 persons. Since the older and more 



264 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(c) District 
System for 
Congres- 
sional 
Elections 



populous counties were Whig and the new and less densely 
settled counties were Democratic, it was inevitable that the 
two parties should come to a clash over this question. As 
early as 1832 the Whig members of the legislature began 
to fight the creation of new counties, but the Democrats 
were able to overcome the opposition of the Whigs, and the 
creation of new counties went on. However, a demand 
arose for a constitutional convention which would deal 
with the matter of representation in the legislature, and 
as a matter of fact, a constitutional convention was held 
in 1845 and a new constitution that provided for legisla- 
tive districts was drafted. But the constitution failed to 
be ratified by the people, and the matter of representa- 
tion remained unchanged for the time. 

From 1820 to 1842 Missouri had been electing her Rep- 
resentatives in Congress by general ticket. In that way 
every voter voted for as many Representatives as the State 
had in Congress. But Congress passed an Act in 1842 
providing that in each state the legislature should divide 
the state into districts for the purpose of electing Congress- 
men. It was very clear that when the new method of 
electing Congressmen went into effect the central counties 
would lose the control they had had in determining who 
should be sent to Congress from Missouri. They had 
been able, through their large population and through 
the success of their political leaders in playing the game 
of politics, to name most of the Congressmen from the 
State. The central counties were therefore opposed to 
the district system, while the frontier counties favored it. 

As has been said, Benton took the unpopular side on all 
three of these issues. But he was moved to do this because 
of his primary interest in the currency issue. He opposed 
a constitutional convention which would bring in these 
changes that were being demanded, for fear that it would 
overturn the salutary safeguards in the constitution of 
1820 with regard to banking. He was not opposed on 
principle to districting the State for the election of Con- 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOiNIAS HART BENTON 265 

gressmen, but since that method of procedure would 
jeopardize the interest of some of his strongest poHtical 
associates, he was, to say the least, not in favor of the 
scheme of districting the State. 

By 1844 the question of the "Hards" and the "Softs" Campaign 
had grown into that of "Benton or no-Benton," and the ° '** 
real significance of the situation is seen in the State elec- 
tion held in that year. The Democratic State convention, i. Demo- 
which was held in Jefferson City in April, 1844, was cap- co^vgndon 
tured by the "Hards," who proceeded to table all resolu- Captured by 
tions pertaining to State issues, such as Congressional dis- ^^^ Hards 
tricts, constitutional conventions, currency, and the like, 
and then forbade the secretary to publish the record of the 
votes by which the resolutions on these measures had been 
tabled. In fact the only issues that were dealt mth in 
these resolutions were national in character. Although 
the "Hards" were in control of the convention, they 
decided that it would be inadvisable to force the nomina- 
tion of their candidate for governor, M. M. Marmaduke 
of Saline County, and they therefore nominated John C. 
Edwards of Cole, who was a supporter of Benton but who 
was in agreement with the "Softs" in all State issues. 

The "Softs" were naturally much dissatisfied with the 2. Ticket 
way in which the convention had proceeded, and they fu'''.?c"f|f!*^' 
set to work to arrange a ticket of their own that went 
by the name of Liberal Democratic. Judge C. H. Allen 
was put at the head of that ticket as their candidate for 
governor. Under these circumstances the Whigs decided 
that it would not be to their advantage to put out a State 
or a Congressional ticket, but to do all they could to carry 
the State legislature and thus defeat Benton for reelection 
to the Senate. As far as they voted for State and Con- 
gressional candidates, they voted for the "Softs." 

Before the campaign of 1844 closed another question of 3. Texas 
very great importance was injected into the contest Question 
between the contending parties, — the Texas question 
and Benton's attitude to it. During 1844 the Tyler 



tion of Texas 



266 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

administration had negotiated a treaty with the RepubUc 
of Texas which provided for its annexation to the United 
States. The annexation of Texas was very popular in Mis- 
fa) Opposi- souri, but to the surprise of everyone Benton came out 
Benton to vigorously against the ratification of the treaty/ and it was 
the Annexa- duc no doubt to his Opposition that the treaty failed to be 
ratified by the Senate. 

The question was immediately raised as to why Benton 
took this attitude. He answered it by saying that he was 
not opposed to the annexation of Texas provided it could 
be done without bringing on a war with Mexico. But he 
claimed that the treaty before the Senate was such as 
to make a war with Mexico inevitable,^ and though he 
was not personally averse to war if it was necessary or 
just, he did not want to disturb the friendly relations with 
Mexico, inasmuch as to do so would prove disastrous to the 
trade between that country and the United States. That 
he desired to preserve this trade unimpaired is due, it has 
been said, to his interest in the success of his currency 
policy. He declared during the campaign of 1844 that 
"the currency question is the greatest question of the age ; 
it absorbs and swallows up every other." He was, as 
we have seen, very much opposed to the circulation of the 
paper currency of state banks, especially the notes of small 
denomination. But he knew that if the small notes were 
not in circulation, gold and silver must be obtained to take 
their place, and he felt that much of this needed metallic 
currency might be secured through importation from 
Mexico if the trade relations with that country were 
properly encouraged. He pointed out that our trade with 
Mexico had really begun only in 182 1, the year in which 

' The surprise was all the greater because Benton had been bitter 
in his opposition to the Treaty of 1819 with Spain whereby we ac- 
quired Florida and at the same time yielded up all claims we had 
to Texas through the purchase of Louisiana. 

2 Immediately after the defeat of the Tyler treaty in the Senate, 
Benton introduced a bill providing for the annexation of Texas by 
a method which he claimed would avoid war with Mexico. 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 267 



she had secured her independence from Spain, and that the 
receipts from that country had grown enormously. In 
182 1 they amounted to only $80,000 in specie, while in 
1835, the year before the Texan revolution, they had risen 
to more than $8,000,000. Owing, however, to our sym- 
pathy with the Texans, our trade with Mexico fell off 
rapidly after 1835, so that the receipts of 1842 were only 
about $1,340,000. In view of these facts, Benton urged 
that everything should be 
done to maintain cordial 
relations with Mexico and 
to increase our trade 
with her in order that the 
stream of specie might 
continue flowing in our di- 
rection in ever-increasing 
volume. That Mexico 
would have the specie to 
pay for our commodities 
was assured because she 
had the silver mines. 

Benton had, however, 
other reasons for oppos- 
ing the treaty of annexa- 
tion that had been sub- 
mitted to the Senate. 
He insisted that it was a 
"scheme on the part of some of its movers to dissolve 
the Union, on the part of some others, an intrigue for the 
Presidency, on the part of others, a land speculation, and 
a job in scrip." 

But these were not winning arguments in Missouri, 
and many of Benton's enemies seized the opportunity to 
criticize him very severely for his hostility to the annexa- 
tion treaty. Indeed, many of his friends and supporters 
had to confess they were disappointed in his position. 
But Benton was very finn, and in the speeches which he 




Thomas Hart Benton 

The most familiar portrait of Benton, 
showing him in his prime. 



{b) Activity 
of Benton's 
Enemies 



268 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



4. Victory of 
"Hards" 
and Re- 
election of 
Benton to 
the Senate 



made in Missouri during the campaign of 1844 he set forth 
clearly and rather defiantly his views on Texas. 

Notwithstanding the combination of " Softs" and Whigs 
in 1844 on the State ticket, the " Hards " carried the elec- 
tion completely, Edward's majority being more than 5000.^ 
But there was considerable uncertainty, however, as to 
whether or not Benton would be reelected to the Senate. 

The Whigs held 53 seats in 
the general assembly and the 
Democrats 80. As only 67 
votes were required to elect 
a Senator, the Democrats 
had a clear majority of 13. 
But no one knew how many 
of the Democrats were op- 
posed to Benton, and in that 
state of uncertainty, Ben- 
ton's enemies redoubled their 
eflEorts to encompass his 
defeat. However, Benton 
was reelected in January, 
1845, with a margin of 8 
votes. The significance of 
this close vote is seen the 
more clearly from the fact 
that at the same time 
Atchison was elected to fill 
the unexpired term of Senator Linn, who had died a short 
time before, by a margin of 34 votes. That Benton was 
reelected at all was due to the fact that the "Hards" 
had control of practically all the newly elected members, 
while the opponents of the "Hards" lacked organization 
and could not concentrate all of their strength on one 
man. 

Although Benton seemed secure in his position, a bigger 
storm was brewing, and it gathered greater force as it 
1 Edwards, 36,978 ; Allen, 31,357. 




Lewis F. Linn 

United States Senator from Mis- 
souri, 1834-43. To him was largely 
due the acquisition of the Platte 
purchase in 1837, out of which were 
organized the six counties in the 
northwestern corner of the present 
State of Missouri. From Houck's 
History of Missouri. 



THE DO^^NFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 269 

developed, overcoming him when he came up for reelection Benton's 
again in 185 1. The issue that proved his vmdoing in j^ the ^'^^ 
that year was not the currency issue which had been so Senate 
prominent in 1844, but that of slavery as it arose in con- 
nection with the territorial possessions acquired through 
the war with Mexico. 

Notwithstanding the fact that Benton was opposed to i. Mexican 
the United States declaring war against Mexico, he voted 
for it when the matter was put squarely before Congress 
by President Polk, and after war was declared, he favored 
pushing it through quickly to a successful end. He was 
frequently called in by President Polk for consultation on 
various matters connected with the war ; and he even 
went so far as to suggest that Congress should create the 
office of lieutenant general of the army, to whom would 
be given the supreme command of the war, and that the 
President should appoint him to that office. Polk agreed 
to the suggestion, but Congress failed to pass the bill. 
However, the President appointed Benton as a major 
general, but when Benton fotmd that he could not have 
supreme command, he resigned the military commission 
that had been conferred upon him. 

By the Treaty of Guadalupe of 1848/ Mexico agreed 2. Wilmot 
to the Rio Grande as the boundary between her and the ^°^'^° 
United States, and ceded New Mexico and Upper Cali- 
fornia to the United States upon payment of $15,000,000 
by the United States to Mexico, and upon certain other 
financial considerations. The question that was thus 
thrust upon the United States in this treaty was how to 
deal with slavery in the territories acquired from Mexico. 
In fact that question had loomed up long before the treaty 
was made. As early as 1846 it had been raised when the 
famous Wilmot Proviso was offered as an amendment 
to the bill that had been introduced into Congress to 

'■ Benton was one of the fourteen Senators who opposed the rati- 
fication of the treaty. Meanwhile he and President Polk had 
become estranged and were never afterward reconciled. 



270 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

appropriate $2,000,000 with which the President might 
negotiate peace with Mexico. This Proviso forbade 
slavery in any of the regions that were to be ceded by 
Mexico, and was intended to commit the country in 
advance to a definite poHcy regarding slavery in the 
territories that might be acquired through the war that 
was then going on. The Proviso failed to carry, although 
it was introduced in two different sessions of Congress. 
3. Omnibus Notwithstanding the fact that the treaty of peace with 
Bill and Mexico was ratified in March, 1848, it was not until more 

Compromise ' ^ 

of 1850 than two years had passed that Congress could agree 

on the kind of government that should be established in 
the newly acquired territories in place of the very tem- 
porary control that had been set up in them under Presi- 
dential direction. This is not the place to bring under 
review the struggle that went on in that body over this 
question. It is sufficient to note that six separate bills 
were finally passed which provided for : (i) the admission 
of California as a free state into the Union, with the 
commonwealth organization that had been formed by her 
people during the year 1849 ; (2) the territorial organiza- 
tion of Utah without any slavery restriction but with the 
provision that the territorial legislature should not place 
any restrictions upon slavery during the territorial period ; 
(3) the territorial organization of New Mexico under the 
same terms ; (4) fixing the boundaries of Texas and paying 
her an indemnity for the territory which she would thus 
relinquish ; (5) a more stringent procedure in the recovery 
of fugitive slaves ; (6) the abolition of the slave trade in 
the District of Columbia. 

It had been the plan of Clay to push these measures 
through Congress not as six different bills but as three 
bills ; the first was to contain the first four bills as enu- 
merated above, the second and the third were to be the 
bills numbered (5) and (6) above. Because of the numer- 
ous things provided for in the first of these three bills 
that Clay was championing, it was dubbed the "Omnibus 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 271 

Bill." Benton was very much opposed to the "Omnibus 
Bill " as he considered that it was a surrender to the radical 
Southern men, and he contended that California had a 
right to be considered alone and should not be tied up with 
the other measures. Probably his opposition did more 
than anything else to defeat the scheme to push all of these 
measures through as one and to compel Congress to con- 
sider them separately. 

When these measures came up separately we find that 
Benton voted for the admission of California, the organ- 
ization of the territorial governments for New Mexico and 
Utah, and for the suppression of the slave trade in the 
District of Columbia. But he voted against giving Texas 
an indemnity for the territory she relinquished, and he 
did not speak or vote at all on the Fugitive Slave Bill. 
He was especially belligerent all during this session of 
Congress and frequently had to be called to order during 
the debate.^ 

But before the famous Compromise of 1850 had been Jackson 
agreed upon in Congress, there burst in Missouri a polit- ^^4°^^'°°^ 
ical storm which swept Benton out of the Senate at the souri Legis- 
close of his fifth term in 185 1. This storm was precipi- '**'^® 
tated by the so-called "Jackson Resolutions" which were 
passed by the Missouri legislature in January, 1849. 
Agitation and discussion over the slavery question that 
arose out of the acquisition of territory at the close of the 
Mexican War were not confined to the halls of Congress. 
People were discussing that question everywhere, very i. Wide- 
much as they had done when it had been thrust into the j^^^^^g^ jj^ 
foreground in 1 8 1 9 by Missouri asking for admission into the Question 
the Union. Then as now the North and the South were °^ ^^^''^'^ 
opposed to one another on the slavery question, but the 
situation differed in at least two respects : First, whereas 
before 1820 slavery existed legally in the territory which 

1 During this debate Foote drew a pistol on Benton on the floor 
of the Senate. This is the only instance in the history of that body 
when such a thing ever happened. 



272 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

the United States had acquired from France in 1803, it 
did not legally exist in the territories that had been ac- 
quired in 1848 from Mexico ; second, whereas by the Com- 
promise of 1820 slavery was, in deference to the demands 
of the North, excluded from a part of the Louisiana Pur- 
chase where it had legally existed, the South was demand- 
ing in 1848 that the restrictions upon slavery should be 
removed in the case of part or all of the territories that had 
recently been acquired from Mexico, so that it could be 
made possible to establish that institution within their 
borders. Of course the North sought to prevent making 
free territory slave, while the South endeavored to make 
it possible to convert any territory into slave territory by 
leaving the question as to whether slavery should exist 
in it to the people living therein. The Democrats of 
Missouri were largely in sympathy with the Southern view, 
and to insure that the Senators and Representatives from 
Missouri would vote " right " on the measures that were 
bound to come up in Congress regarding this newly ac- 
quired territory, the famous " Jackson Resolutions " were 
passed by the legislature. 
Text of So important were these resolutions in the struggle of 

!l!l^'^^'^'"' Benton to retain his hold upon his seat in the Senate, that 
they are given here in full. 

Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri : 
(i) That the Federal Constitution was the result of a compro- 
mise between the conflicting interests of the States which formed 
it, and in no part of that instrument is to be found any delegation 
of power to Congress to legislate upon the subject of slavery, except 
some special provisions, having in view the prospective abolition 
of the African slave trade, made for the recovery of fugitive slaves ; 
any attempt, therefore, on the part of Congress to legislate on this 
subject so as to aflfcct the institution of slavery in the States, in the 
District of Columbia, or in the Territories is, to say the least, a 
violation of the principle upon which that instrument was founded. 
(2) That the Territories, acquired by the blood and treasure of 
the whole nation, ought to be governed for the common benefit of 
the people of all the States, and any organization of the territorial 
governments, excluding the citizens of any part of the Union from 



tions 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 273 

removing to such territories with their property, would be an exercise 
of power by Congress inconsistent with the spirit upon which our 
federal compact was based, insulting to the sovereignty and dignity 
of the States thus aflfected, calculated to alienate one portion of the 
Union from another, and tending ultimately to disunion. 

(3) That this General Assembly regard the conduct of the North- 
ern States on the subject of slavery as releasing the slave-holding 
vStates from all further adherence to the basis of compromise fixed 
on by the Act of Congress of March 6, 1820, even if such Act ever 
did impose any obligation upon the slave-holding States, and author- 
izes them to insist upon their rights under the Constitution ; but 
for the sake of harmony and for the preservation of our Federal 
Union, they will still sanction the application of the principles of the 
Missouri Compromise to the recent territorial acquisitions, if by such 
concession future aggressions upon the equal rights of the States may 
be arrested, and the spirit of anti-slavery fanaticism be extinguished. 

(4) The right to prohibit slavery in any Territory belongs ex- 
clusively to the people thereof, and can only be exercised by them 
in forming their constitution for a State government, or in their 
sovereign capacity as an independent State. 

(5) That in the event of the passage of any Act of Congress con- 
flicting with the principles herein expressed, Missouri will be found 
in hearty cooperation with the slave-holding States, in such measures 
as may be deemed necessary for our mutual protection against the 
encroachments of Northern fanaticism. 

(6) That our Senators in Congress be instructed and our Repre- 
sentatives be requested to act in conformity with the foregoing 
resolutions. 1 

The gist of these resolutions is contained in the fourth 
one. Here the Missouri legislature states plainly that 
Congress has no right to determine whether slavery should 
exist in any Territory or not, and that the people of that 
Territory alone have the right to settle the matter. This 
is the doctrine of "squatter sovereignty." 

1 These resolutions were introduced into the senate by Carty 
Wells and were referred to the senate committee on federal rela- 
tions, of which Claiborne Jackson was chairman. Inasmuch as 
Jackson reported them back to the senate from his committee, they 
were at once known as the " Jackson Resolutions." The real author 
of these resolutions was Judge Napton of the supreme court of 
Missouri, and for that reason they are sometimes called the "Jack- 
son-Napton Resolutions." 



274 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Passage 
of the 
Resolutions 



Benton's 
Reply to the 
Resolutions 



I. His 
"Appeal" 



These resolutions were introduced into the Missouri 
senate on January i, 1849, and after a very stormy debate 
were passed by both houses on March 6 by very large 
majorities, the only opposition coming from the Whigs 
and a few Democrats.^ Benton seems to have known 
about these resolutions from the time they were first 
introduced, and he claimed he could have prevented their 
adoption if he had only given out the word to his sup- 
porters in the legislature. But he chose not to interfere 
and allowed those who were opposing him to proceed 
without any protest on his part.^ 

But Benton's opponents were not allowed to remain 
unanswered. On May 9 he was in St. Louis and issued 
his famous "Appeal" in the form of an open letter ad- 
dressed to "The People of Missouri." In this letter he 
speaks of the resolutions and the instructions to obey 
them, and then goes on to say : "From this command I 
appeal to the people of Missouri — the whole body of the 
people — and if they confirm the instructions, I shall give 
them an opportunity to find a Senator to carry their wishes 
into effect, as I cannot do anything to dissolve the Union 
or to array one half of it against the other." He closed 
by saying that in due time he would give his reasons for 
this " Appeal " and by asserting that he would abide by 
the decision of the whole people and by nothing less. 

^ The vote in the senate on the six different resolutions was as 
follows: (1)24 to 6; (2) 25 to 5 ; (3) 23 to 7 ; (4)23106; (5)23 
to 6; (6) 23 to 6. The vote in the house was as follows: (i) 59 
to 25; (2) 63 to 21; (3) 57 to 27; (4) 64 to 20; (5)53^029; (6)52 
to 27. The final vote in the house on the resolutions as a whole was 
53 to 27. 

2 In 1 847 the Missouri legislature passed a set of resolutions 
instructing the Senators of Missouri and requesting the Represen- 
tatives to support the principle of the Missouri Compromise when 
it came to providing for the organization of territories that might 
be obtained from Mexico. These resolutions were exactly opposite 
in principle to the "Jackson Resolutions" two years later. The 
Missouri legislature thus reversed itself in passing the "Jackson 
Resolutions." 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 275 
During the summer and fall of 1849 Benton made a 2. His Can- 



thorough canvass of the State, beginning at Jefferson 
City on May 26. In the addresses that he gave, he set 
forth at length his reasons for declining to follow the 
instructions that had been laid down in the " Jackson 
Resolutions." The main reason was that these resolutions 
were "a mere copy of the Calhoun Resolutions" offered 
in the Senate on February 19, 1849, which Benton had then 
denounced with all his might "as a firebrand intended for 
electioneering and disunion purposes. ' ' Ever since Benton 
had opposed Calhoun's nullification schemes in the 
thirties, the two men had been enemies, and Benton 
claimed to see the hand of Calhoun in all the efforts that 
were made against him in the forties in Missouri. He 
was therefore convinced that Calhoun was the real author 
and instigator of the "Jackson Resolutions," and that 
their purpose was not only "to deny the right of Congress 
to prevent or prohibit slavery in the territories and to 
denounce a dissolution of the Union if it did," but also to 
get rid of him in public life. 

Benton not only belabored Calhoun as the instigator of 
these resolutions, but he showed in his addresses how the 
circumstances connected with their passage seriously 
impaired their force as instructions. "The resolutions," 
he said, "were introduced at the very beginning of the 
session ; they lay torpid until its end. The plotters were 
waiting the signal from their leading friend — waiting for 
the Calhoun address. The moment they got it they 
acted, although it was too late for the resolutions to have 
the effect of instructions. They were passed after Con- 
gress had adjourned, and after it must have been believed 
that the subject to which they related had been disposed 
of ; for it was notorious that the territorial government 
bills were in process of enactment, and in fact only failed 
after midnight on the last night of the session and that on 
disagreement of the two houses ; and their failure, on the 
third of March, was not known at Jefferson City on the 



vass over 
the State 



276 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

seventh, the day of passing the resolutions. It was too 
late to pass the resolutions for the purpose of instructing 
me how to vote at Washington. It was too late for that ; 
but was early enough for the summer campaign at home, 
and therefore they were passed." 

I After hurling anathemas at the plotters against him, he 
closed his addresses by saying : 

I "In the execution of this design I cannot be an instru- 
ment, nor can I believe that the people or the mass of 
the general assembly are with it ; and I deem it right to 
have a full understanding with my constituents on the 
whole matter. 

" I therefore appeal from the instructions I have received 
because they are in conflict with instructions already 
received and obeyed — because they did not emanate 
from any known desire or understood will of the people — 
because they contain unconstitutional expositions of the 
Constitution which I am sworn to support — because they 
require me to promote disunion — because they are copied 
from resolutions hatched for great mischief, which I 
have a right to oppose, and did oppose in my place as 
Senator in the Senate of the United States, and which I 
cannot cease to oppose without personal disgrace and offi- 
cial dereliction of public duty, and because I think it is due 
to the people to give them an opportunity to consider pro- 
ceedings so gravely affecting them, and on which they have 
not been consulted. 

"I appeal to the people, and the whole body of the 
people. It is a question above party, and should be kept 
above it. I mean to keep it there." 
3. Reply of Benton's appeal and addresses did not go unanswered. 
Enemies^ All ovcr the State there were able and influential men who 
controverted his position and denounced his course. 
Among these were James S. Green, David R. Atchison, 
Claiborne F. Jackson, Robert M. Stewart, Carty Wells, 
and many others. 

Although the contest concerning Benton was an affair 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 277 

primarily within the ranks of the Democratic party in Division in 
Missouri, it was not without its effects upon the Whigs, ^^"gP^ty 
the minority party of the State. The Whigs also be- 
came divided into Benton and anti-Benton Whigs accord- 
ing as they favored or disapproved of his slavery policy. 
But quite naturally both branches of the Whigs sought 
to foment the differences between the Benton and the 
anti-Benton Democrats, for the wider the gulf between 
these two factions the better were the political prospects 
of the Whigs. The wisdom of that policy is seen in the 
way the campaign for the election for the members to 
the legislature in 1850 turned out. There were very 
few speeches made in Missouri during that campaign. 
Apparently all had been said that was needed to 
be said during the preceding year. Moreover, both 
Benton and Atchison were busy in Congress dealing 
with the matter commonly known as the Compromise 
of 1850. 

When the returns from the August election in Missouri Benton's 
came in, it appeared at once that there would be three jggj 
parties represented in the legislature, Benton Democrats, 
anti-Benton Democrats, and Whigs, no one of which had 
sufficient strength to elect a candidate to the United States 
Senate. "The war of the factions waged furiously," 
according to a contemporary Whig, "each wing of the 
Democratic party preferring the success of the Whigs to 
the success of the opposing division of their own party. 
Finally a portion of the line of each of the opposing forces 
gave way and victory perched upon the banner of the 
Whigs." On the fortieth ballot taken on January 22, 
185 1, Henry S. Geyer, a Whig and an eminent lawyer of 
St. Louis, was elected as Benton's successor in the United 
States Senate.^ On March 4, 1851, Benton retired there- 
from after having served continuously for thirty years. 
Even his bitterest enemies in that body regretted see- 

1 Geyer, 80 ; Benton, 55 ; Stringfellow, 18 ; scattering, 4. String- 
fellow was the anti-Benton Democrat. 



278 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Causes of 

Benton's 

Overthrow 



I. His Atti- 
tude toward 
Slavery 



ing him pass out of it, because of his sterHng integrity 
and his great abihty. 

The forces that brought Benton to his fall were led by 
the radically Southern or pro-slavery element of the Demo- 
cratic party in Missouri. They did not like Benton's 
attitude toward slavery, and anticipating that, on the 
issues arising in connection with the territories acquired 
through the Mexican War, he would act contrary to their 

wishes, they sought to cast 
discredit upon him by passing 
the "Jackson Resolutions" to 
which they knew he could not 
confonn. Benton was a slave- 
holder and was one of the few 
members of Congress who 
continued as late as 1850 to 
bring his slaves mth him to 
Washington as household ser- 
vants. But from the very 
first he considered the institu- 
tion of slavery as an evil and 
was opposed to its extension 

Benton's successor in the United intO plaCCS where it did not 

States Senate. From Stevens' Mis- i i • , \4- i-U 

souri, the Center Stale, hy permission aireaOy eXlSt. At tnc SamC 

of the Missouri Historical Society. time he waS bitterly OppOScd 

to the Abolitionists and their 
agitation. He favored keeping the slaves and even the 
free negroes in a state of subordination as a safeguard 
to society, and as a means of protecting the best in- 
terests of the negroes themselves. Moreover, he knew 
the Abolitionists cared little or nothing for the Union, 
and hence he detested them for their avowed disunion 
tendencies. But he could not support the plans of the 
Southerners to suppress abolition agitation by authoriz- 
ing the postmaster to exclude abolition literature from 
the mails. 
Emphasis, however, needs to be put upon his opposition 




Henry S. Geyer 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 279 

to the extension of slavery into regions where it did not 
yet exist/ and upon his behef that Congress alone had the 
right to determine whether or not slavery should exist in 
territories. It was this position that brought him squarely 
into conflict with the pro-slavery element in Missouri. 
According to their way of thinking, Congress had no right 
to exclude slaves from the territories, and moreover the 
people of the territories alone had the right to say whether 
slavery should exist at the time when they framed their 
state constitutions. This was indeed, as we have seen, 
the chief provision of the "Jackson Resolutions." 

Because the pro-slavery element insisted on this point, 
Benton contended that they were headed toward seces- 
sion and disunion, and as he stood first, last, and all the 
time for the Union, he was all the more bitter in his denun- 
ciation of them and their policies. ■ 

It is conceded, however, that Benton aggravated the sit- 2. His "Ap- 
uation by his bold and reckless defiance of the pro-slavery ^'^fl "^"*^ 

•' _ i- J Addresses 

people. If he had ignored the "Jackson Resolutions" 
and had gone on his way in the Senate, debating and vot- 
ing his views and opinions there, he would have given 
his opponents less occasion to attack him than he did by 
issuing his "Appeal" and following it up with a tour of 
speech-making throughout the State. But such a pro- 
cedure was not in keeping with his nature. He was 
daring and fearless in spite of all kinds of opposition, and 
he was confident he could hold his own in an open fight. 

His attitude in this matter brings out in the strongest 
relief the most dominant characteristic of the man — his 
absolute fearlessness. This was not the first time he 

' In his speech at Jefferson City in May, 1849, he said: "My 
personal sentiments are, then, against the institution of slavery and 
against its introduction into places where it does not exist. If 
there was no slavery in Missouri to-day I would oppose its coming ; 
if there was no slavery in the United States I would oppose its 
coming into the United States ; as there is none in New Mexico or 
California, I am against sending it to those territories and could 
not vote for such a measure." 



28o 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



The Soxirces 
of his 
Strength 
with the 
People 

I. His 
Fearlessness 



2. His Fine 
Physique 



3. His Wide 
Knowledge 



had defied public opinion. We have seen how he had 
opposed the annexation of Texas when practically all of 
Missouri favored it. We have seen also how he had taken 
the unpopular side in a number of State issues. Every- 
body recognized him as a man of great boldness and 
courage, both moral and physical, and although these very 
traits finally led him into a conflict with his constituents 
that resulted in his downfall, they were among the things 
that won for him their support during the greater part 
of his career. 

There were other things besides his fearlessness that 
caused the people to admire Benton. Physically he was 
tall, robust, and muscular. He attracted attention 
wherever he went by his fine physique, strong features, 
stately movements, and neat dress. All during his public 
career he enjoyed good health and was vigorous to the end. 
He was free from the vices common to men in public life 
in his time. He did not drink, and except for his pro- 
fanity when provoked, he was pure and chaste in thought 
and word. He was devoted to his family, and though 
inclined to rule his household somewhat strictly according 
to his own notions, he was frequently very indulgent and 
generally companionable with his children and grand- 
children. He was very generous, and died a poor man. 

He was noted for his wide range of information and for 
his unquenchable thirst for knowledge. He did not seek 
for information from books alone, but also from his own 
observations and companions and from every conceivable 
source. "Hunters and trappers, scouts, wild half-breeds, 
Indian chiefs, Jesuit missionaries, army officers back from 
the plains, were all eagerly sought by him and contributed 
those facts which made up his vast knowledge of un- 
settled America." He was never satisfied with a super- 
ficial knowledge of any matter, and he frequently was able 
to convince his opponents in the Senate that he was right 
because his knowledge of the matter in dispute was much 
more extensive than theirs. 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 28 1 

Benton was noted for his political integrity. It was 4- His 
due largely to him that a number of petty grafts that had j ^^gg^f^ 
been allowed to exist by Congressmen were stopped. He 
was bitterly opposed to lobbyists, and he detested office 
seekers. He opposed a number of rules and regulations of 
Congress that would permit hasty legislation and that 
savored of being undemocratic. 

Moreover, he was a true Westerner and had an abiding s- His Belief 
faith in the future development of the West. He there- "^^ ^ 
fore favored everything that tended to make it stronger 
and better, and was regarded as the champion of cheap 
land, the fur trade, and western expansion. 

It was because of these personal qualities that Benton 
was enabled to maintain his hold upon the common people 
so long. They felt that in him they had a champion who 
would not betray their best interests, although he con- 
sidered himself their superior and held himself aloof from 
them. They were proud of the high rank he had taken 
in the councils of the nation. He was always classed with 
Clay, Calhoun, and Webster, and to a great many he stood 
first in this famous group of four. 

But over against these traits and characteristics there Contribut- 
were others that contributed to his downfall. In the first i^g Causes 

ofms 

place, he was given to certain ways that tended to alienate Downfall 
his friends and supporters. He was very vain and ego- 
tistical ; he was austere, reserved, and distant ; he lacked 
personal magnetism. He had little or no patience with 
anyone who disagreed with him, and did nothing to con- 
ciliate or win over those who opposed him. He was strong 
in his prejudices and considered himself wiser than others, 
and demanded that his friends should accept his views and 
opinions without any question. He brooked no opposi- i- His 
tion, and would rather drive an adherent frpm his support Ha^ghdness 
than attempt to win him by forbearance, toleration, and 
conciliation. He was very personal in his public utter- 
ances and was given to abusing roundly all who dared to 
oppose him. Ridicule was a favorite weapon, and when 



2b2 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. His Lack 
of Political 
Tact 



Loss of In- 
fluence dur- 
ing the Last 
Ten Years of 
Service 



angered he would indulge in a great deal of profanity in his 
public addresses. Vindictive and unforgiving, tyran- 
nical and dictatorial, he always aimed to crush those who 
differed with him. 

In the second place, " Benton was no politician. He 
moved to Washington soon after his first election and 
made his home there the rest of his life. He came back 
to St. Louis every svunmer and every few years he went 
on a tour to the principal towns of the State. He did not 
know the younger men growing up in politics and did not 
care to. He expected the party to take his advice and 
orders, and laughed at the younger men as ' boys.' Frank 
P. Blair was the only young leader whom Benton liked and 
trusted. Benton refused to ask for offices and appoint- 
ments for his followers and so build up a party. His 
idea was to appeal directly to the people through his 
speeches in Congress and through the newspapers, and to 
ignore the local leaders." 

For many years these political methods of Benton suc- 
ceeded fairly well. The politicians did not like him and 
chafed under the situation, but they had to submit because 
the people trusted him. Benton was never really popular 
in Missouri with the people, but he was greatly admired 
by them, and hence the politicians found they had to en- 
dure what they did not like at all. 

But during the last ten years of his service in the Senate, 
Benton began to lose influence both at Washington and 
at home. During that time the control of the Democratic 
party had fallen very largely into the hands of Calhoun 
and other leaders from the South who, according to 
Benton's view, were bent upon breaking up the Union. 
Since Benton's political creed was based on the preserva- 
tion of the Union, he became irreconcilably opposed to 
Calhoun and his supporters, and in so doing became less 
influential in his party. We have also seen how his atti- 
tude on the money and the Texas questions had been 
unpopular with a great many of his political friends and 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 283 



supporters at home, and how he had been forced to strug- 
gle to retain his seat in 1844. We have also seen how he 
had openly quarreled with President Polk, thus adding to 
the strength of the opposition against him. 

Moreover, there was a very pronounced feeling among 
all Western people against any man holding one ofhce too 
long. The younger men who were rising in the Demo- 
cratic party in Missouri applied this doctrine of short 
terms and rotation in office to Benton, and plotted to get 
him out of the way. Their 
attacks upon him were all 
the more effective because of 
those traits and character- 
istics of Benton that were 
more or less repellent. They 
enlarged upon his foibles and 
emphasized his aloofness and 
airs of superiority. 

The defeat of Benton for 
reelection to the Senate in 
185 1 did not mean, however, 
his immediate retirement from 
public life. In 1852 he was 
elected to Congress from the 
first Missouri district. The 
contest was a very spirited 
one and was marked with con- 
siderable vituperation and 
abuse on the part of Benton. 
There were three candidates in 
the field, two Democrats and one Whig. Benton was 
elected, however, by a plurality of nearly 600 votes.* 

On entering the House, Benton was treated with much 
respect and was assigned to the chairmanship of the 
committee on military affairs which he had held so 

'Benton, 7844; Bogy (Democrat), 2072; Caruthers (Whig), 
7260. 




Thomas Hart Benton 

In later life. From Stevens' Mis- 
souri, the Center State, by permission 
of the Missouri Historical Society. 



Later Career 



I. In the 
House of 
Representa- 
tives 



284 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Attempt 
to Reenter 
the Senate 



3. Race for 
the Gover- 
norship 



long in the Senate. Whenever he spoke, the members 
would generally gather around him and pay him the closest 
attention. But he was not as active in the House as he 
had been in the Senate, partly because of the limitation 
upon debate that necessarily exists in the House and 
partly because he was very much engrossed in literary 
work. The greatest speech made by him in the House 
was on the Kansas-Nebraska bill, which he vehemently 
denounced. In taking this stand he was putting himself 
in opposition to the party that had elected him, and when 
he came up for reelection in 1854 he was defeated by 
a plurality of nearly 1000.^ 

Although the defeat was very humiliating to Benton, 
he sought to regain entrance to the Senate by opposing 
Atchison for reelection in 1855. Three candidates were 
in the field: Atchison (anti-Benton), Benton, and Doni- 
phan (Whig). The balloting in the legislature ran gen- 
erally as follows: Atchison, 51 ; Benton, 40; and Doni- 
phan, 57. Atchison's name was finally withdrawn and 
that of Williams of the supreme court was first submitted 
and later that of Sterling Price, governor of the State, 
but to no avail. The legislature finally adjourned with- 
out electing a successor to Atchison and for two years 
Missouri had only one Senator, Mr. Geyer, the Whig 
successor to Benton. 

Meanwhile Benton's friends had been making vigorous 
efforts to get the "Jackson Resolutions" repealed in the 
Missouri legislature, but in vain. 

Although defeated twice for the Senate and once for the 
House, Benton was still undaunted and decided to enter 
the political conflict once more in 1856, this time for the 
office of governor of the State. Three candidates were 
in the field: Trusten Polk (Democrat or anti-Benton), 
Robert Ewing (Whig), and Benton. Benton was warned 
by his friends that he was pursuing a hopeless cause, but 

' Kennet (Whig), 6275; Benton, 5297; Polk (anti-Benton 
Democrat), 378. 



THE DOWNFALL OF THOMAS HART BENTON 285 

he refused to listen to them. Although 74 years old and 
suffering from a malady that proved fatal eighteen months 
later, he entered into the campaign with the vigor of a man 
in the prime of life, traveling more than 1200 miles and 
making more than forty speeches of considerable length. 
But he was doomed to another defeat, coming out third 
in the race.^ 

He spent his remaining days in literary efforts, first 4. Literary 
completing his Thirty Years' View and then taking up the ^^°^^^ 
Abridgment of the Debates in Congress. He died on 
April 10, 1858, before he had finished this latter task. 

Notwithstanding his faults and shortcomings, Benton Missouri's 
has been considered from his day to this as Missouri's cftlzen^* 
greatest citizen. 

REFERENCES 

General — Roosevelt, Thomas Hart Benton. Meigs, Thomas Hart 
Benton. Rogers, Thomas Hart Benton. Of these three biographies 
of Benton, the best one is by Meigs. 

Early Life and Career of Benton — Roosevelt, pp. 1-68. Meigs, 
pp. 1-158. Rogers, pp. 1-54. 

Early Opposition to Benton in Missouri — McClure, "Early 
Opposition to Thomas Hart Benton," in the Missouri Historical 
Review for April, 19 16, pp. 150-196. Reprinted separately. The 
only account of the political opposition that began to show itself in 
Missouri toward Benton prior to 1844. This article was used 
extensively by the author of this book when dealing with the early 
opposition that developed against Benton. 

Downfall of Benton — Roosevelt, pp. 317-340. Meigs, pp. 384- 
422. Rogers, pp. 245-282. 'Ray, Repeal of the Missouri Compromise, 
chs. i-ii. These chapters appeared also in the Missouri Historical 
Review for October, 1907, and January, 1908. They give a very 
good account of the fight against Benton from 1 844 to 1 850. Written 
as a background for the Kansas- Nebraska Act. 

Character of Benton and his Later Career — Roosevelt, pp. 341- 
365. Meigs, pp. 423-520. Rogers, pp. 283-349. 

1 Polk, 46,933 ; Ewing, 40,589 ; Benton, 27,618. 



CHAPTER XIII 



Indian 
Slaves in 
Missouri 



Early Negro 
Slavery in 
Missouri 



SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 

[Historical Setting. — The general economic and social condi- 
tions that prevailed throughout the country during the decade 
preceding the Civil War.] 

Slavery existed in Missouri from very early times 
down to 1865. During the French period there were 
both Indian and negro slaves, but by 1803 Indian slaves 
had practically disappeared, thanks to the efforts of the 
Spanish governors of Louisiana. 

Negro slavery in Missouri dates from the time of Re- 
nault, who, on his way from France in 17 19 to what is 
now Missouri, stopped at San Domingo and purchased 
500 negro slaves to work in the mines which he was going 
to open in the Missouri country. From these negroes 
were descended most of the slaves living in the French 
settlements at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Ste. Genevieve, St. 
Louis, and St. Charles at the time of the Louisiana Pur- 
chase. Those found in the Cape Girardeau and New 
Madrid districts were brought in by the American im- 
migrants. At first the Spanish government evidently 
sought to encourage negro slavery in Missouri, since the 
amount of land which it granted to settlers depended not 
only on the size of the family but also on the number of 
servants and slaves which came with them. But later 
an attempt was made to stop the further introduction of 
negro slaves, due doubtless to the fear that negro up- 
risings like those in Virginia, the Carolinas, and San 
Domingo would occur if the negroes became too numerous. 

The negro slaves owned by the French settlers were 

286 



SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 



287 



employed principally in fanning, and as they had little 
work to do and were well treated they became greatly 
attached to their masters. The French settlers did not 
have any of that race prejudice which characterized the 
American slave owners, and hence the relation between 
the French and their slaves was closer than that which 
existed between the Americans and their slaves. It is 
true that the American pioneers treated their slaves well, 
but they always considered the negroes as an inferior 
race, and this put a bar between master and slave that 
did not exist in the case of the French. 

The number of slaves in Missouri was never large. In 
1803 there were between two and three thousand slaves, 
and in i860 there were 1 14,93 1 slaves and 3572 free negroes. 
By noting the table of statistics below, taken from the 
United States census from 18 10 to 1860,^ we shall see that 
while there was a numerical increase in the number of 
slaves from decade to decade, the percentage of increase 
of slaves steadily decreased. But from 1810 to 1830 the 
slaves increased more in proportion to the entire popu- 
lation than did the free population. During these two 
decades immigration into Missouri was chiefly from the 
slave states. But from 1830 to i860, when immigration 
from free states and from abroad became marked, slaves 



Number of 
Slaves in 
Missouri, 
1803-60 



I. Decrease 
in the Per- 
centage of 
Increase 



"• The following tabulation shows by decades the percentage of 
slaves of the entire population of Missouri and the percentage of 
increase in the number of slaves : 













Percent- 


Percent- 


Year 


Total 
Population 


Whites 


Free 
Colored 


Slaves 


Slaves OF 

Entire 
Population 


age of 
Increase 
of Slaves 


181O 


20,845 


17,227 


607 


3,011 


14-5 





1820 


66,586 


54,903 


376 


9,797 


154 


239.48 


1830 


140.455 


115,364 


569 


25,091 


17.8 


145.46 


1840 


383,702 


322,295 


1478 


57,891 


15-5 


132. II 


1850 


682,044 


592,004 


2618 


87,422 


12.8 


50.1 


i860 


1182,012 


1063,489 


3572 


114,931 


9.8 


33 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Increase 
in the 
Number of 
Slaves in 
Certain Parts 
of the State 



increased less in proportion to the entire population than 
did the free population. It will also be seen from this 
fact that, whereas in 1810 there was approximately one 
slave for every six whites, in i860 there was only one 
slave for every nine whites.^ The increase in the num- 
ber of whites and slaves in Missouri during the period 
from 1 8 10 was due largely to immigration, especially in 
the case of the whites, and it is more than likely that since 
most of the white immigrants during this period came 
from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Caro- 
lina, most of the slaves that were imported into Missouri 
came from the slave states. 

Although there was a continued actual increase in the 
nimiber of slaves in Missouri up to the outbreak of the 
Civil War, there were portions of the State in which slavery 
was, between 1850 and i860, mmierically on the decline. 
In the old French counties along the Mississippi River 
south of the mouth of the Missouri, and in the older coun- 
ties along the Missouri from its mouth to the boundaries 
of Callaway and Cole counties, the number of slaves de- 
creased between 1850 and i860, while in the counties 
farther up the Missouri River and along the western 
boundary of the State the slave population increased 
during that time. Two reasons may be assigned for this 
actual increase in the number of slaves in the counties 
along the upper Missouri and along the western border : 
first, that portion of the State was richer than the older 
counties and was better adapted to the cultivation of 
hemp, the chief crop raised by slave labor in Missouri ; 
and second, during that decade the white population of 
that part of the State grew more rapidly than any other, 
and as many of the newcomers in this region were slave- 
holders, the slave population naturally increased. 

Although Missouri was a slave state, its system of 
slavery differed in many ways from that which prevailed in 

1 In some of the Southern states the slaves equaled the whites 
in number. 



SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 



289 



the Southern states. There were few great plantations of 3. Small 
"the Mississippi type with its white overseer and gangs ^umbtrof 
of driven blacks" cultivating a staple crop. Except in Slaves Held 
the Missouri River counties where hemp was the staple, the ^^ Masters 




jaci\50n; 13 688_j , ,-„„ 

-'?§8i_| ifqb ■ I I8i 'cooper /^ ' i'^"-'-*''"' 
i.Dio ~i ■"'"***°'* i Pettis! ., rjo / 'jv / 

i . . !•</•? 3 1,7.504 -iMOHlTEALi' 

i ♦ + ! I HENRY,- 5iq LnBf»«r ^^^''' 

! BATES i flezo ■fi^-^o-r'^T^' 
I 6 76r 1^ J74. j 

; 21 i6+lo POl« I ^ Nlacleoe"^ 

(BAKTON,— ,---;„ , ,. !J.777 i 4 875- 




Map of Missouri showing by Counties the Number of Slaves 
AND White People in the State in i860 

The figures above the names of the counties give the number of slaves, 
and those below, the number of white people. 



farmers of Missouri were usually engaged in general farm- 
ing. Even where cotton and tobacco were raised, they were 
cultivated not as staples but as incidental crops. Hence 
the slaves on most of the Missouri farms were employed 
as general field hands and were not put under the "task 
system " as in the South, where cotton was the great staple. 



290 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Value of 
Slaves 



Traffic in 
Slaves 



Inasmuch as this was the case, the number of slaves 
held by a given master was not often large. "Very few 
masters had one hundred slaves and not many had fifty." 
While the number of slaves owned by one master varied 
from a single slave to four hundred, most of the masters 
had less than five slaves each. 

Many of the single slaves were household or personal 
servants. This was true in both the towns and the coun- 
try. Slaves were employed at times as hands on the river 
boats and in the lead mines, and they were also used in 
general work about the towns. But the majority of the 
slaves in Missouri were employed as field hands. 

From what has been said it will readily be seen that as 
a slave state Missouri was "a region of small farms, small 
slave holdings, and relatively few slaves." 

It is impossible to give anything like an accurate state- 
ment as to the monetary value of slaves in Missouri. 
Governor Jackson said in 1861 that the slaves in Missouri 
at that time were valued at $100,000,000 ; he arrived at 
that estimate by averaging all the slaves at about $700 
apiece. That may have been a fair estimate. As far as 
we know there was gradual increase in the value of slaves 
from 18 10 to i860. It was seldom that a slave brought 
more than $500 before 1830, while in 1850 $1300 was the 
usual price for a prime male slave and $1000 for a prime 
female slave; $1600 is the highest price on record for 
a man, and $1300 for a woman. The "$2000 slave" in 
Missouri seems to have been a myth. 

There was naturally a decline in the value and prices 
of slaves after the Civil War began, but it is surprising 
to note how well prices kept up during the first two years 
of the war. As late as 1863 slaves were still bringing a 
fairly good sum in Missouri. 

Wherever slavery prevailed there was always more or 
less traffic in slaves. In Missouri there was not only the 
local exchanging of the surplus slaves among the owners, 
but there was also buying and selling by itinerant dealers 



SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 291 

who went the rounds of the small towns, and by local 
dealers in the larger places. Many of the slaves that 
were bought up by these itinerants and local dealers were 
sent down South, but Missouri slave owners have strenu- 
ously denied that they ever embarked upon the business 
of breeding slaves for the purpose of supplying the South- 
ern market. They have maintained that when they sold 
their slaves they were forced to do so because they had a 
greater number than they could take care of, or because 
of financial reverses, or of some ill trait in a slave, such 
as chronic viciousness or persistency in trying to escape. 
The very dealers to whom they sold their slaves were 
often despised by them. St. Louis was, of course, the 
chief slave market in the State, especially for the gangs 
that were shipped South. Many a slave was kept in 
good discipline by the threat of his master that he 
would be "sold down South" if he did not behave 
himself. 

The existence of slavery in Missouri raised several 
problems, such as the civil status of slaves, their re- 
lation to their masters, the means of controlling slaves, 
and the methods of procedure and punishment of 
slaves in cases of crime and misdemeanor. These 
matters were made the subject of legislation from time 
to time.^ 

As far as slavery had any legal basis in Missouri at all. Legal Basis 
it rested, first, on the Treaty of 1803, which provided [°^MisJoufi 
that "the inhabitants of the ceded territory will be up- j Treaty of 
held and protected in the enjoyment of their liberty, 1803 and 
property, and religion," and second, on the constitution 0/^^820" 
of Missouri of 1820, which guaranteed slave property by 
providing that no slaves were to be emancipated "with- 
out the consent of their owners or without paying for 
them before such emancipation," and also by providing 
that ^' bona fide emigrants to this State or actual settlers 

1 The free negro was the occasion for more real anxiety to slave 
owners in Missouri than were the slaves themselves. 



292 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Slave 
Codes, 1804- 
60 



Civil Status 
of Slaves 
in Missouri 

I. Dis- 
abilities 



herein" were to be secure in such property "so long as 
any persons of the same description are allowed to be held 
as slaves by the laws of the State." 

The first law that was enacted regarding slavery in 
Missouri after the Louisiana Purchase was a code drawn 
up in 1804 by the governor and the judges of Indiana 
Territory under whose jurisdiction the District of Louisi- 
ana had been placed.^ This rather elaborate code was 
drawn largely from the statutes of Virginia on governing 
slaves, and remained in effect until 1825, when it was 
superseded by another code which, but for a few addi- 
tions made from time to time, remained unchanged down 
to the outbreak of the Civil War. Like the code of 1804, 
that of 1825 and the later additions that were made to 
it were largely adaptations of laws of other slaveholding 
states, especially Virginia and Kentucky. 

It is not possible here to outline the provisions of these 
different codes and laws and the changes that were made 
in them from time to time. But an attempt will be 
made to discuss some of the provisions of the law touch- 
ing slaves and slavery as they existed at the beginning of 
the Civil War. 

As regards his civil status, a slave was considered as 
personal property and could be legally disposed of the 
same as any other kind of personal property. He could 
hold no property in his own right, neither could he buy 
and sell without the permission of his master. There 
were particular laws against a slave selling liquor. If 
he committed any depredations, his owner was responsible 
the same as for injury done by his other live stock. Ex- 
cept under certain circumstances a slave could not be a 



1 The French and Spanish authorities of Louisiana had issu'^d 
extensive regulations concerning slaves, but inasmuch as slaves 
were not numerous in Missouri during their rule, and furthermore, 
since these regulations were wholly superseded by American legis- 
lation after the acquisition of Louisiana in 1803, no attention will 
be given to them here. 



SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 293 

witness at court against a white person/ and marriages 
between slaves were not recognized by law.^ 

But, notwithstanding all these civil disabilities, a slave 2- A Slave 
was not a mere thing. The constitution of 1820 pro- Thing 
tected him from being at the absolute mercy of his master 
by providing that the legislature should pass laws which 
would "oblige the owners of slaves to treat them with 
humanity and to abstain from all injuries to them extend- 
ing to life or limb." It also provided that a slave was to 
be given a jury trial, and in case of conviction of a capital 
offense he was to receive the same punishment as a white 
man for a like offense and "no other," and he was to be 
assigned counsel for defense. It further provided that 
"any person who shall maliciously deprive of life or dis- 
member any slave shall suffer such punishment as would 
be inflicted for a like offense if it were committed on a 
free white person." The slave was also protected from 
cruelty in forcing evidence from him, and in indictments 
for misdemeanors he was at first subject to the same pro- 
cedure as that which was followed in the case of whites, 
although that practice was somewhat modified in later 
times. ^ 

Laws were passed at different times which enabled one 
held in slavery to sue for his freedom as a poor person, 
if he had any ground for claiming his freedom. 

Slaves were, of course, amenable to all the laws con- 3- Penalties 
ceming crimes and misdemeanors, but there were three ^^^ ^^^ 
crimes that were considered especially grave on the part demeanors 
of slaves, namely, conspiracy to rebellion, insurrection or 
murder, criminal assault upon women, and resistance to 
their owners or overseers. The death penalty was in- 
flicted for the first of these offenses, mutilation for the 

^ This applied to free negroes and mulattoes as well as to slaves. 

2 A statute passed in 1 865 requiring a legal marriage of all slaves 
is evidence on this point. 

^ The justice of the peace court was the court to which the 
slave was taken for most of the offenses he committed. 



294 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Relation 
between 
Masters 
and Slaves 



second/ and 39 stripes for the third. The lash was used 
for many other offenses, and in some instances the 
maximum number of stripes was set forth in the law, 
while in others the matter was left to the discretion of 
the court. A slave was never fined or imprisoned in 
lieu of the lash for an offense, except at the request of his 
master. The lash might be used against whites as well 
as blacks in some cases, and all whippings were public 
and upon the bare back "well and truly laid on."^ Se- 
ditious speeches and riotous meetings were punishable 
with stripes. 

There were occasional instances of mob violence against 
slaves and free negroes for crimes which they had com- 
mitted, but of the two cases that caused the greatest ex- 
citement in the State, one concerned a free negro and the 
other a slave who had escaped to Canada and had been 
there a long time. On the whole, the relations between 
master and slave in Missouri, if we are to believe the 
testimony of the masters, were fairly close, considering 
the ever-present attitude of superiority that was assumed 
by the masters toward their slaves. This close relation 
was no doubt made possible by the small number of slaves 
held by most of the owners and by the absence of over- 
seers. In may cases owners and slaves had come to 
Missouri as fellow immigrants, and this common experi- 
ence created a certain bond of sympathy between them. 
Moreover, in the rural communities the slaves often 
worshiped at the same churches with their masters, 
and were attended by the same pastor and physician. 
Physical punishment at the hands of the master for 
misconduct or indolence was no doubt often excessive, 

1 The same penalty was assessed upon whites for the same offense. 

2 The slave whip used in Lafayette County is still in existence. 
It is composed of a wooden handle attached to a fiat piece of rub- 
ber strap about eighteen inches long, an inch and a half wide, and a 
quarter of an inch thick. It has the appearance of having been cut 
from rubber belting, being reenforced with fiber as is rubber hose. 
This whip would cause a very painful l)low without leaving a scar. 



SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 295 

but it was to the interest of the owner not to make it 
too severe, as any permanent marks or scars caused by 
such punishment were bound to lessen the market value 
of a slave. 

There were several laws included in the slave code that Recovery 
were directed against the loss of slaves through escape or giJ^^/g^*^^ 
theft. There was always more or less danger of slaves 
escaping either on their own volition or through the as- 
sistance of persons who were hostile to slavery, the danger 
increasing as the abolition movement grew in momentum. 
The geographical situation of Missouri facilitated the 
escape of slaves. Surrounded on three sides by free ter- 
ritory, and with two great rivers offering easy means of 
going and coming, the State found itself at times hard 
pressed to prevent slaves from escaping with constant 
regularity. This was particularly true in the fifties, when 
the ' ' Underground Railroad ' ' was being successfully 
operated. 

Very early a form of procedure for the recovery of i. Laws 
fugitive slaves was prescribed, and in time laws with ^^^'^^^ 
severe penalties attached were passed against stealing Boats 
slaves or decoying them out of the State. The laws 
against owners of boats plying on the rivers were particu- 
larly stringent. There were not only provisions against 
taking slaves out of the State, but matters came to such 
a pass that boatmen were prohibited from taking them 
from one point in the State to another, and the courts 
were very rigid in interpreting and enforcing these laws. 
It was not necessary to prove that the captain knew 
whether the negro he was carrying in his vessel was a 
slave or not, and later it was held that, even if the captain 
did not know he had a negro on board, that fact would 
not be a bar against legal proceedings on the part of the 
master for the recovery of his loss. 

In order to lessen the chances of escape, laws were passed 2. Laws 
either prohibiting assemblies of negroes or permitting /fssembiies 
them only under certain regulations. Slaves were pun- of Negroes 



296 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

ished with stripes for entering other plantations than those 
of their masters, and masters who permitted assemblages 
of slaves on their plantations were fined. Store and tavern 
keepers were fined for allowing slaves or free negroes to 
gather on their premises. This was designed not only 
as a defense against idleness and intemperance, but also 
against the danger of plots on the part of slaves to escape 
in groups. Finally, no religious assembly of negroes or 
mulattoes was allowed — if the preacher was a negro — 
unless some official was present to prevent seditious 
speeches and disorderly conduct. 
3. Patrols The patrol was an effective means for repressing any 

concerted plans on the part of the negroes to escape or 
rebel. The law that authorized the patrol provided that 
a county court, if it thought best, might appoint for each 
township a company of patrollers, or "patter rollers," as 
they were called, for one year, each company consisting of 
a captain and not more than four other persons. It was 
their duty to patrol at least twelve hours each month 
and as many more as the county court might direct, and 
to visit negro quarters and other places suspected of un- 
lawful assemblies. If slaves were found at unlawful as- 
semblies, the patrol might give them not more than ten 
lashes, unless the owner permitted it, but the justice of 
the peace might give them as many as thirty-nine. 
Abolitionists The law passed in 1847 providing that "no person shall 
I. Law instruct any negroes or mulattoes in reading or writing 

Teaching ^^ *^^^ State Under penalty of $500, or not more than six 
Negroes months' imprisonment, or both," was probably inspired 

by the desire to neutralize the efforts of the Abolitionists. 
There was a fear that if the slaves learned to read they 
would be influenced by abolition literature that was be- 
ing very freely distributed, and would attempt to rise in 
rebellion or to abscond. In spite of this law, however, 
many masters taught their slaves how to read and write, 
though the majority of the slaves never acquired those 
accomplishments. 



SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 



297 



The feeling of the Missourians toward the Abolitionists 2. Law 
is seen very clearly in the law that was passed in 1837 ^^b^oH^^onJsts 
against them. This law subjected to fine or imprisonment 
any person who should "publicly circulate or utter by 
writing, speaking, or printing any facts, arguments, 
reasoning, or opinion tending to excite any slave or slaves 
or other persons of color to rebellion, sedition, or murder." 
For the first offense there was prescribed a fine of $1000 
and imprisonment for not more than two years ; for the 
second offense, imprisonment for not more than twenty 
years ; and for the third offense, imprisonment for life. 
There are, however, no records of prosecutions under 
this law, but public sentiment against Abolitionists forced 
several persons to flee from the State because they had 
been free in expressing their anti-slavery views. 

The most noted instances of Abolitionists fleeing from 3- Lovejoy 
the wrath of the people of the State occurred, however, 
before the above-mentioned law was 
passed. Probably the Lovejoy in- 
cident is the one most widely known. 
Elijah P. Lovejoy came to Missouri 
from Maine in 1827. In a very 
short time he began writing for the 
newspapers of St. Louis, and by 1833 
he was editing a religious weekly in 
that city called the St. Louis Observer. 
In 1834 he began to write vigorous 
articles against slavery which aroused 
considerable attention. He was 
urged by various citizens to desist 
and was warned that his course 
would bring him into deep trouble. 

He declined, however, to change his course. He was 
about as pronounced in his anti-Catholic views as he 
was in his anti-slavery opinions. Matters were brought 
to a crisis by his severe criticisms of the mob that 
lynched a mulatto named Frank Mcintosh, who had 




Elijah P. Lovejoy 

From Nicolay and Hay's 
Lincoln . 



298 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



4. Increased 
Bitterness 
toward 
Abolitionists 



Early Eman- 
cipation 
Movement 
in Missouri 



stabbed an officer, and of Judge Lawless, who had 
upheld the mob. So great was the opposition aroused 
against Lovejoy because of these criticisms, that the 
man who had been furnishing him the capital with which 
to run his paper decided it would be best to move the busi- 
ness to Alton, Illinois. But before that could be done, a 
mob broke into the Observer office and thoroughly sacked 
it, dumping the press and type out into the street. No 
personal violence was done to Lovejoy, and he was allowed 
to go on to Alton. There he resumed his crusade against 
slavery, and although he was in a free state he found him- 
self bitterly opposed because of his policies. One press 
after another was destroyed, and it was while he was de- 
fending a third one that he was shot and killed. 

As the abolition movement progressed, Missourians 
became more and more intolerant of agitation on the 
subject and sought more and more to suppress it alto- 
gether. This is seen not only in the law of 1837, which 
has already been outlined, but also in several other acts 
of the legislature In 1839 a resolution condemning the 
efforts of the North to interfere with the domestic policy 
of each state was passed by the legislature, and in 1841 
a vote of approval was extended by that body to Presi- 
dent Van Buren for the position he had taken in the 
abolition movement. In 1845 the constitutional con- 
vention, which had been convened for the purpose of 
drafting a new constitution for the State, flatly rejected 
the only petition presented to it on the subject of 
abolition. 

There had been from early times a certain clement in 
the State that opposed slavery and favored emancipation, 
but it was not always active. Very few people, if any, 
favored immediate emancipation in 1820, though there 
were many who stood for a restriction upon the further 
importation of slaves either at once or later. The con- 
stitution of 1820, however, put no restriction upon the 
importation of slaves, and permitted emancipation of 



SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 299 

slaves only with the consent of the owners or upon pay- 
ment for them. 

Much has been made of the story that a movement 
was under way during the twenties that gave promise of 
bringing about in time the gradual emancipation of all 
the slaves in Missouri. In 1828 there occurred a secret i. Scheme 
meeting of a nimiber of prominent men representing dif- ° ^ ^ 
ferent parts of the State and consisting of about an equal 
number of Whigs and Democrats, among whom were 
Senators Benton and Barton and Honorable John Wilson. 
At this meeting it was agreed to use every effort to secure 
the passage of a law that would provide for the gradual 
emancipation of all the slaves in Missouri. To this end 
candidates in both parties were to be canvassed and 
pledged in its favor, and everything was to be done to make 
the matter thoroughly nonpartisan. Unfortunately for 
the success of this movement, according to the account 
of Mr. Wilson, who is our only source of information on 
the matter, just as the above-mentioned plans were taking 
shape, a statement was published in the newspapers that 
Arthur Tappan of New York, one of the leading Abolition- 
ists of the time, had entertained at his private table some 
negro men ; that in fact these negroes had ridden in his 
private carriage with his daughters. This may or may 
not have been true, but it was accepted as true by Mis- 
sourians, and it enraged them so that those who had been 
planning to inaugurate a nonpartisan movement for the 
emancipation of slaves did not dare to start it. 

Whether such a movement would have succeeded if it 2. Missouri 
had ever been publicly launched is, of course, more or ^adon °°"*' 
less problematical. The one big item in all emancipation Society, iSag 
schemes that loomed large and made Missourians pause 
was the free negro. As we shall see in a moment, there 
was more anxiety and concern about the free negro than 
about the slave. If the slaves were freed and allowed to 
remain in the State, the problem of controlling the free 
blacks was considered a very serious one, and as the 



300 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Manu- 
mission of 
Slaves by 
Individual 
Masters 



Free 
Negroes 



I. Constitu- 
tional 
Provision 
concerning 
Free Negroes 



abolitionist movement grew, the mass of slave owners 
in Missouri drew back from the idea of emancipation, 
especially if the free blacks were to remain. Emancipa- 
tion in large numbers commended itself to Missourians 
only as it included the removal of the freed slaves from 
the State, but the colonization movement was never de- 
veloped to any great extent. The Missouri State Colo- 
nization Society was not organized until 1839, and it never 
became very active in the State. It is to be noted, how- 
ever, that those who were interested in it were slaveholders 
and not Abolitionists. 

Although the emancipation movement failed to develop 
in Missouri, it was always possible for individual owners 
to free their slaves whenever they saw fit. But since 
every slave on being freed added to the seriousness of the 
problem of the free negroes, "the power of the slave owner 
to manumit his slave was considered a privilege rather 
than a right," and "the freeing of slaves was tolerated 
but not welcomed." The number of slaves that were 
given their freedom was not large except in St. Louis. 
During the decade preceding the outbreak of the Civil 
War, the Germans began to settle in large numbers in 
that city, and they soon began to exert considerable in- 
fluence. Although some of the Germans in St. Louis 
held slaves, most of them were decidedly opposed to 
slavery and did their part in the abolition agitation. 

As has been suggested, the free negroes constituted a 
problem that caused the Missourians more concern than 
the slaves. It was not, however, tmtil 1820 that there 
was any sign of uneasiness about the free negro. But it is 
evident that when this uneasiness did appear, it was gen- 
uine and not assumed. The hostile attitude of the Mis- 
sourians toward the free negro is seen in that section of 
the constitution of 1820 which provided that it should be 
the duty of the legislature to pass such laws as would 
prevent free negroes and mulattoes from coming into and 
settling in the State, and which, it will be recalled, occa- 



SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 30 1 

sioned the delay of Missouri's admission into the Union 
for more than a year. 

This hostihty to the free negroes in 1820 was not due 2- Fear of 
to their large number, for there were at that time only increase^' 
347 out of a total population of 66,557.^ It was due 
rather to a fear that they would rapidly increase in 
number and would therefore tend to weaken the sta- 
bility of the institution of slavery. There was not only 
the prospect that the mere presence of free negroes would 
serve to make the slaves discontented, but there was the 
probability that they might be used by designing persons 
to stir up rebellion and insubordination on the part of 
the slaves. For these reasons laws which aimed to put 
the free negroes under ready control were passed from 
time to time. 

It was not, however, until 1835 that the Free Negro 3- Free 
Code was fully elaborated. The chief feature of this code cod™i83s 
was the license that was required of the free negro or 
mulatto. No free negro or mulatto, other than a citizen 
of some State, was permitted to reside in Missouri unless 
he obtained a license from some county court. Severe 
penalties were assessed for failure to comply with this law. 
Likewise persons employing or harboring free negroes 
or mulattoes, who were not entitled to remain in the 
State, were heavily fined. Free negroes and mulattoes 
between the ages of seven and twenty were hired out by 
the county courts as apprentices until they were twenty- 
one. 

In 1843 3- drastic law was passed which was intended to 4- Later 
restrict the immigration of free negroes into Missouri. pr^^^egJoeg 
Excepting free negroes who were natives of the State or who 
had been residents of the State since 1840, and excepting 
those who were citizens of another state, no free negroes 
were permitted to come into or remain in the State, and 
strict regulations were provided to insure the enforcement 

1 The free negro population never became large in Missouri, as 
will be seen by consulting the table in footnote i of this chapter. 



302 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

of this law. It was also provided that all slaves entitled 
to freedom at some future date were not allowed to come 
into the State. 

In 1847 free negroes and mulattoes were prohibited 
from coming into Missouri under any conditions whatso- 
ever. This law was in direct violation of the solemn 
public act of the legislature that was imposed in 1820 
by Congress as a prerequisite for the admission of the 
State into the Union. But that this act ever had any 
legal binding eflfect on the legislature of Missouri, no one 
ever believed. It is somewhat to the credit of Missouri, 
however, that a law prohibiting the immigration of free 
negroes was not passed much earlier.^ 

In 1859 the legislature attempted to put the cap sheaf 
upon the free negro legislation by passing a bill providing 
among other things that the only trial which a free negro 
who had migrated to and settled in the State since 1847 
might have was a summary examination before some 
judicial officer, and the presumption was that every free 
negro or mulatto arrested for any crime or misdemeanor 
should be considered as having come into the State since 
1847, unless he could prove to the officer before whom he 
was arraigned that he had come in prior to that date. 
This bill was vetoed by Governor Stewart, and on being 
reenacted by the legislature at its next session, was vetoed 
by him a second time. Thus Missouri was saved from 
a very disgraceful act. 

REFERENCES 

Trexler, Slavery in Missouri from 1821 to 1865. The only real 
authority on the subject. Special attention has been given to the 
economic and social phases of slavery in Missouri. Used very 
extensively by the author of this book in the preparation of this 
chapter. Trexler, "Slavery in the Missouri Territory," in the 
Missouri Historical Review for April, 1909, pp. 179-197. The au- 

^ This law of 1847 also forbade anyone to teach negroes or mu- 
lattoes to read and write. 



SLAVERY IN MISSOURI 303 

thor's first article on the subject which he developed in the work 
first mentioned. Trexler, "The Value and Sale of the Missouri 
Slave," in the Missouri Historical Review, for January, 1914, pp. 69- 
85. An adaptation of one of the chapters of the author's book. 
Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, vol. v, pp. 598-606 ; ii, 
PP- 375~376. Two short articles on "Slavery" and "Emancipa- 
tion" in Missouri. Violette, "The Black Code in Missouri," in 
the Proceedings of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association for 
1912-13, pp. 287-316. A study of the legal phase of the subject 
from earliest times to 1865. 



CHAPTER XIV 
KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES, 1855-60 

[Historical Setting. — The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.] 

■A. _ , 

From 1855 to i860 western Missouri was involved in 

an almost continuous warfare with Kansas. This trouble 

grew out of the question of slavery in the territories of 

Kansas and Nebraska that had been created by Congress 

in 1854. In order that we may understand how this 

trouble arose, a few words of explanation setting forth 

the historical situation must be given. 

Region First of all, a glance at the map of the United States 

West of the -^q^i Qf the Mississippi River in 1850 needs to be taken. 

Mississippi ^^ 

in 1850 By that time six states had been created m this region 

and added to the Union. Four of these (Louisiana, Arkan- 
sas, Missouri and Texas) were slave states and .two (Cali- 
fornia and Iowa) were free. Four territories had been 
organized, two of which (Oregon and Minnesota) were 
• free, and two (New Mexico and Utah) were open to slavery. 
Between the states of Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa and 
the Territory of Minnesota on the one hand, and the 
Rockies on the other, was a vast stretch of country which 
had been given over to the Indians and was as yet un- 
organized. Only a small portion of it was open to slavery, 
the Missouri Compromise of 1820 having provided for 
the exclusion of slavery in this section above 36° 30'. 
Inasmuch as there was only the most remote probability 
that slavery would be established in either New Mexico 
or Utah, it can be seen that the only real chance that 
slavery had for expansion in the West after 1850 was in 
that portion of the unorganized territory that lay south 

304 



KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES 



305 



of 36° 30', which is now known as Oklahoma. That 
this should be the cause for considerable anxiety on the 
part of the South is easily understood. 

Meanwhile, the people of Missouri were beginning in 
a number of ways to urge Congress to open up for 
settlement the region directly west of the State. The 
first expression on the subject came from the legislature 
when in 1847 it memorialized Congress to extinguish the 
Indian titles to this western country and to provide for 
its territorial organization. The next expression came 
from mass meetings of citizens, most of which were held 
in the western part of the State. In June, 1852, the 
citizens of Parkville, Platte County, met in a public meet- 
ing and adopted a resolution asking Congress to organize 
immediately the Territory of Nebraska and to provide for 
the right of settlement therein as soon as the Indian 
titles should be extinguished. In November, 1853, a 
mass meeting of the citizens of Andrew County was held 
in Savannah and resolutions of a similar character were 
passed. In December of that year the people of St. 
Joseph met and adopted a set of resolutions approving 
the Hall bill for the organization of the Territory of Ne- 
braska and condemning those who had prevented its 
passage. In January, 1854, a Nebraska convention was 
held at St. Joseph in response to a call for "a general 
convention of all the friends of Nebraska" and passed a 
long set of resolutions, most of which were the same as 
those of Andrew County. At about the same time 
"the friends of Nebraska" of St. Louis County assembled 
in St. Louis and declared in favor of a territorial govern- 
ment for Nebraska and denounced all those who opposed 
it as being hostile to the best interests of the State. ^ 



Interest of 
Missourians 
in the Open- 
ing Up of the 
Nebraska 
Territory 



I. Petitions 
to Congress 



' So important had the question become in Missouri that it had 
injected itself into the contest that was waged in the State in 1853- 
54 for Atchison's seat in the United States Senate. Benton had 
been defeated for reelection to that body in 1850, and he aspired 
to return to it by succeeding Atchison, who came up for reelection 



3o6 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Kansas- 
Nebraska 
Act, 1854 



2. Desire for The interest of Missourians in having this territory 
Cheap Lands ^gg^. q£ ^]^gj^ opened up for settlement was due primarily 
to the desire for more cheap land. Missouri was not 
yet by any means thickly populated, but it was filling 
up, especially so on the western border. And the set- 
tlers who, in their migrations across the country, had 
been stopped at the western border of Missouri because 
the territory beyond was not yet open for settlement, 
were showing signs of defying the Government and 
crossing over into Nebraska. As Senator Atchison said 
in 1853, "There is a large portion of our population who 
are ready and anxious to abandon their homes to go into 
this territory ; you cannot restrain them much longer." 

Notwithstanding this pressure which Missourians were 
bringing to bear upon the Nebraska question. Congress 
was slow to respond. In December, 185 1, Willard P. 
Hall of Missouri introduced a bill into Congress providing 
for the reorganization of the region including what is now 
Kansas and Nebraska, and to which he gave the name of 
Platte. Failing to get it considered at that session, he 
re-introduced the bill in December, 1852, with the name 
of the territory changed from Platte to Nebraska. But 
the bill met the same fate as before. 

Congress had two reasons for delaying action in the 
matter. In the first place, the Nebraska country had 
been turned over to the Indians during Jackson's ad- 
ministration, and it was not deemed right to force them to 
go away. In the second place, the Missouri Compromise 
had dedicated this territory to freedom, and if new states 
were created out of it they would be free states, and thus 
the inequality between the South and the North in the 
United States Senate, which had been brought on by the 
admission of California in 1850, would be considerably 

in 1854. The campaign began early in 1853 and involved from 
the start the Nebraska question. Benton and Atchison main- 
tained different views on certain phases of this question and be- 
labored each other considerably over them. 



I. Delay of 
Congress 



KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES 



307 



increased. As has been said, there was only a small 
portion of this unorganized territory that was at all likely 
to become slave territory, and hence Congress was re- 
luctant to accede to these demands of Missouri that the 
Nebraska Territory should be opened up for settlement. 
It should be mentioned, however, that in nearly all the 
Nebraska resolutions adopted by mass meetings in Mis- 
souri and addressed to Congress, the principle was clearly 
set forth that the question of slavery should be settled 
by the people of the territories themselves. This was, of 
course, in violation of the Missouri Compromise, and 
Congress hesitated to take any action that pointed in 
that direction. 

Finally Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act In 
May, 1854. This created two new territories, Kansas 
and Nebraska, 
with the pro- 
vision that the 
people living 
therein should 
determine as 
to whether or 
not slavery 
should exist in 
them, thus re- 
pealing the 
old Missouri 
Compromise. 
Few other 
Acts have had 
as far-reach- 
ing conse- 
quences in our 

history as this one. According to some it has been 
regarded as the "greatest error" which Congress ever 
committed. Whether that is so or not, it is certain that 
thereafter the country drifted rapidly toward civil war. 




1" Mexico 



Map of the United States West of the Mis- 
sissippi River just after the Passage of 
THE Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 



2. Passage of 
the Bill 



Missouri 



308 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

Rush to It was generally understood throughout the country 

Kansas -^^ 1854, when the Kansas-Nebraska bill was passed, that 

Kansas would be settled by people from Missouri and 
the South, and would therefore become a slave territory 
and ultimately a slave state, and that Nebraska would 
be settled by people from the North and would become 
free. From the outset, therefore, Missourians made 
certain claims as to their rights to settle Kansas, and 
they became very resentful later when attempts were 
made to challenge those claims. 
From Missourians, especially those on the western border, 

had special reasons for being interested in the establish- 
ment of slavery in Kansas. Missouri was bordered on 
the east and north by free states, and slave owners along 
the eastern and northern borders of the State were in 
constant danger of having their slaves escape into free 
territory. If Kansas should become free, that would 
expose Missouri to the same danger on a third side. There 
were nearly 50,000 slaves in western Missouri in 1854, 
worth about $25,000,000. Free Kansas would, therefore, 
jeopardize slavery in that part of the State and would add 
to the general weakening of the institution throughout 
the entire State. For these reasons the majority of Mis- 
sourians were interested in having Kansas become a slave 
territory, and just as soon as President Pierce signed the 
Kansas-Nebraska bill large numbers of them rushed into 
Kansas and seized upon extensive tracts of the best lands. ^ 
Settlers were required by the preemption laws of the time 
to erect cabins and to be in actual residence for a given 
period of time if they were to acquire a title to their claims. 
But many of these Missourians did nothing more on their 
Kansas claims than "notch a few trees and arrange a 
half dozen rails upon the ground and call it a cabin, or 

^ The white inhabitants of Kansas Territory at the time of its 
organization consisted of nearly 700 soldiers and army attache, 
and perhaps as many civilians living at the missions and trading 
posts in the Territory. 



KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES 309 

post a scrawl claiming proprietorship and threatening to 
shoot intermeddlers at sight." 

Many Missourians, however, became bona fide settlers 
and several little pro-slavery towns were soon estab- 
lished, such as Kickapoo, Atchison, Leavenworth, and 
Lecompton. All these towns but the last named were 
situated on or near the Missouri River northwest of what 
is now Kansas City. 

The advent of Missourians into Kansas was soon fol- 2. From the 
lowed by Northern immigrants, some of whom came ^^*' 
because they wanted to get into a new country. But 
most of them came because of their interest in making 
Kansas a free territory and state, and many of these 
had been sent to Kansas by certain anti-slavery socie- 
ties in New England. The most important and active, 
perhaps, of these societies was the New England Emigrant 
Aid Company, which was directed largely by Eli Thayer 
and Amos Lawrence, both of Massachusetts. The com- 
pany offered considerable assistance to all who would go 
to Kansas under its auspices, in return for which it was 
informally understood that their influence would be 
against slavery in Kansas. In 1854, 750 colonists were 
sent out by this company, and in the following year 635 
were sent out. Not all of these stayed, however. Many 
of them became disgusted with the hardships of pioneer 
life and returned to their old homes in New England. 
As a result of this colonizing effort several anti-slavery 
towns sprang up in Kansas, among which were Hampden, 
Wabaunsee, Ossawotamie, Manhattan, Topeka, and 
Lawrence, all of which were situated west or southwest 
of what is now Kansas City. 

"During the early summer of 1854 exaggerated and Attitude of 
false reports in regard to the character, purposes, and |^4^a°d im^^ 
means of the proposed Emigrant Aid Company were migration to 
circulated through Missouri and the entire South. It ^e°East^'^°™ 
was said that an organization chartered by the legislature 
of Massachusetts and possessing immense capital was 



3IO 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. As Shown 
by News- 
papers 



preparing to abolitionize Kansas by means of military 
colonies, recruited from the slums of Eastern cities and 
planted in Kansas with all the munitions of war, to be 
used not only when necessary for their own defense but 
for keeping out immigrants from the South." 

Many of the newspapers of Missouri were full of these 
reports and were advising the people of the State to join 
one another in resisting by force this proposed colonization 
of Kansas by Easterners. The Democratic Platform of 
Liberty, Missouri, said: "Let every man that owns a 
negro go to Kansas and settle and our Northern brethren 
will be compelled to hunt further north for a location." 
In another issue this same paper said : " We are in favor 
of making Kansas a slave state if it should require half 
of the citizens of Missouri, musket in hand, to emigrate 
there, and even sacrifice their lives in accomplishing so 
desirable an end." In a still later issue it said : "Shall we 
allow such cutthroats and murderers as the people of 
Massachusetts are to settle in the territory adjoining our 
own State ? NO ! If popular opinion will not keep 
them back, we should see what virtue there is in favor 
of arms." 

The Argus of Platte City said: "The Abolitionists 
will probably not be interrupted if they settle north of 
the fortieth parallel of north latitude, but south of that 
line and in Kansas Territory they need not set foot. It 
is decreed by the people who live adjacent that their 
institutions are to be established, and candor compels 
us to advise accordingly." 

The Industrial Luminary of Parkville said: "We 
hope fanatico-political combinations will be kept out of 
the new country, especially such as we read of being 
formed in some of the Eastern states. American freemen 
are wanted — not mercenary tools of furious demagogues 
from either the South or North." 

The Squatter Sovereign, which was published at Atchison, 
Kansas, advised that the emigrants who were being armed 



KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES 311 

and sent out by the Aid Societies should be met with 
weapons of their own choice and kept out of Kansas. 

Mass meetings were held at several different points in 2. As shown 
western Missouri during 1854 and resolutions were ^^^^^in^^g 
adopted expressing hostile views upon the contemplated 
colonizing schemes of the Eastern companies. At West- 
port it was resolved "that we will carry with us into the 
new territory of Kansas every species of property, in- 
cluding slaves, and that we will hold and enjoy the same. 
That we desire to do so peacefully and deprecate any 
necessity for resorting to violence in support of our just 
and lawful rights. Yet apprehensive of interference with 
our private and domestic concerns by certain organized 
bands who are to be precipitated upon us, we notify all 
such that our purpose is firm to enjoy our rights and to 
meet with the last argimient all who shall in any way in- 
fringe upon them." At Independence it was declared 
that "we, the South, should be permitted peaceably to 
possess Kansas, while the North, on the same privilege, 
be permitted to possess Nebraska Territory." 

These newspaper expressions and resolutions fairly rep- 
resented the attitude of the majority of the people of 
Missouri at the time. Most of them felt that Kansas 
had been intended for the South and slavery, and that 
Nebraska had been intended for the North and freedom, 
and they were united on the proposition that "any at- 
tempt on the part of the North to make Kansas a non- 
slaveholding territory is a breach of faith which ought 
to be resisted by the South and especially by Missouri." 

That the Missourians intended from the outset to act Missouri 
in accordance with their views on the settlement of y^ggo^a^! 
Kansas is seen in the organizations which they effected 
during 1854. In June of that year the Missourians who 
had rushed into the Territory and had squatted upon 
claims near Salt Creek Valley, a trading post three miles 
west of Fort Leavenworth, organized a Squatters' Claim 
Association whose purpose was to "secure safety and 



312 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

fairness in the location and preservation of claims." It 
is obvious what means would be employed by such an 
association to secure what it considered as its rights. 

In July there was established the Platte County Self 
Defensive Association, the most remarkable and for- 
midable of all the organizations that were created for the 
purpose of controlling the settlement of Kansas. This 
association declared that it would "whenever called upon 
by any of the citizens of Kansas Territory hold itself in 
readiness to assist in removing any and all emigrants 
who go there under the auspices of the Northern Emigrant 
Aid Societies," and it recommended to the other counties, 
particularly those bordering on Kansas Territory, to adopt 
regulations similar to those it had drawn up, and to indi- 
cate their readiness to cooperate in resisting Northern 
immigration into Kansas. This association, however, 
overshot the mark in the vigor with which it attempted 
to regulate local affairs at Weston, where it had been or- 
ganized, and it was compelled to dissolve itself very 
shortly. 

Numerous secret lodges were thereupon organized in 
the northern and central counties for the purpose of ex- 
tending slavery not only into Kansas but also into other 
territories. They went under various names, such as 
"Social Bands," "Friends of Society," "Sons of the 
South," and "Blue Lodges." They were generally known 
by the last name. Under their control there were from 
five to ten thousand persons, "mostly desperate char- 
acters," who were ready to invade Kansas to protect 
pro-slavery men and to drive out, if need be, those who 
opposed slavery. 
Missourians It was inevitable that trouble should ensue between 
at the Missourians and the emigrants from the free states. 

Kansas 

Elections The first occasion for a demonstration on the part of the 

I. Territorial Bluc Lodgcs of Missouri was the election of a territorial 

Delegate delegate from Kansas to Congress. This occurred on 

November 29, 1854. On that day 1729 Missourians in- 



KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES 313 

vaded the different election districts of Kansas and voted 
for Whitfield, the pro-slavery candidate, who was of 
course elected. It seems very evident that Whitfield 
would have been elected without the vote of the Mis- 
sourians, for at that time the pro-slavery settlers in 
Kansas outnumbered the anti-slavery settlers consider- 
ably.^ Notwithstanding the wail of indignation that went 
up all over the North regarding this election, Whitfield 
was allowed to take his seat as a delegate to Congress. 

But more important than this election was the one 2. Territorial 
held for the territorial legislature, which was set for March Legislature 
13) 1855. A census of Kansas had been taken in Febru- 
ary of that year, and it had been found that there were 
8600 people in the territory, of whom 2905 were eligible 
to vote. When the polls were closed on election day, 
6307 votes had been cast. On that day between four 
and five thousand Missourians marched, fully armed, 
across the border and compelled the election judges to 
receive their ballots. Some of the Missourians pretended 
to be residents of the Territory, but in the case of most of 
them there was no attempt to disguise the fact that they 
were Missourians. "They came in companies with 
music and banners"; they came "with guns upon their 
shoulders, revolvers stuffing their belts, bowie knives pro- 
truding from their boot-tops, and generous rations of 
whiskey in their wagons." They justified what they 
did on the ground that the Emigrant Aid Company had 
sent voters by the hundreds all the way from New Eng- 
land to vote, and that, therefore, they had as much right 
to do the same for themselves. 

It goes without saying that these election invasions of 
Kansas were popular in western Missouri. A few persons 
there protested against them, but they generally found 
themselves proscribed for their frankness, and sometimes 
they were very harshly treated. The editors of the Indus- 
trial Luminary, a newspaper published at Parkville, raised 

1 Whitfield received 2258 votes out of the 2833 that were cast. 



314 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. David 
Atchison, 
Leader of 
the Mis- 
sourians 



the question in a mild sort of way as to whether it was ex- 
pedient to force slavery on Kansas, and their press was at 
once destroyed by a mob, and they were forced to leave 
the place. 

The leader of these election invasions of Missourians into 
Kansas was none other than David Atchison. At the 
time of the first invasion he was still United States Senator 
from Missouri. From the moment it became known that 

men from New England were 
coming to Kansas to make 
it free, he began to advocate 
counter action on the part 
of the people of Missouri. 
At the time the Platte 
County Association was or- 
ganized he was reported as 
saying : 

"The people of Kansas in 
their first election will decide 
the question as to whether 
or not the slaveholder is to 
be excluded, and the matter 
depends upon a majority of 
the votes cast at the polls. 
Now if a set of fanatics and 
demagogues 1000 miles ofif 
can advance their money and 
exert every nerve to abolitionize the Territory and ex- 
clude the slaveholder when they have not the least per- 
sonal interest in the matter, what is your duty? When 
you reside within one day's journey of the Territory, and 
when your peace, your quiet, and your property depend 
on your action, you can without any exertion send 500 
of your young men who will vote in favor of your institu- 
tions. Should each county in the State of Missouri only 
do its duty, the question will be decided peaceably at the 
ballot box. If we are defeated, then Missouri and the 




X V 

David B. AxcmsoN 

United States Senator from Missouri. 
From Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln. 



KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES 31^ 

other Southern states will have shown themselves recreant 
to their interests and will have deserved their fate." 

Besides Senator Atchison several other notable Mis- 
sourians, including ex- Attorney General Stringfellow, 
Colonel Sam Young, Claiborne Jackson, James M. 
Burns, and others, figured prominently in the raids across 
the border in the Kansas Territory days ; but "Atchison 
was the master spirit of these demonstrations." 

The territorial governor of Kansas was aware of what 4- NewEiec- 
had happened at the election of the territorial legislature ^""tjicls '^ 
and called for protests. Only six districts, however, 
responded. And as the governor took the ground that 
he could interfere only where protests were properly 
made, he declined to declare the election invalid except 
in those six districts from which protests came. New 
elections were ordered in these six districts and anti-slavery 
candidates were elected in each of them, owing to the 
fact that the pro-slavery voters ignored the election and 
stayed away from the polls. The candidates elected at 
this special election were never allowed, however, to take 
their seats. The territorial legislature was completely 
controlled by pro-slavery men, and it promptly declared 
the candidates elected in these six districts at the first 
election as being entitled to seats in the legislature. 

As might be expected, the legislature that was elected Contest 
by the Missourians legalized slavery in Kansas and en- 
acted some very drastic laws protecting the institution and Free 
in that Territory. State Gov- 

■' _ _ ernmentsin 

Of course the anti-slavery element in Kansas felt out- Kansas 
raged at this travesty on popular government and pro- 
ceeded to set up a free state government. A constitution, 
known as the Topeka constitution, was drafted and was 
adopted in December, 1855, by a vote which was confined 
to the anti-slavery men altogether, the pro-slavery men 
taking no part whatsoever in the voting. A short time 
afterward, the anti-slavery people petitioned Congress 
for the admission of Kansas into the Union as a free state 



between the 
Territorial 



3i6 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Invasions of 
Kansas by 
" Border 
Ruf5ans " 



I . Sacking of 
Lawrence 



under the Topeka constitution. Congress refused, how- 
ever, to grant the petition. 

There were thus two governments in Kansas : one had 
been elected by the Missourians, but was, strangely 
enough, " legal " ; the other had been set up by the majority 
of the actual settlers, but had no legal standing, inasmuch 
as it had never been authorized. 

Naturally these two governments were drawn into 
conflict with each other, and soon the conflict developed 
into civil war. The pro-slavery party, which was sup- 
porting the territorial legislature, called upon the Mis- 
sourians for assistance, and on different occasions they 
answered the call. They came first in December, 1855, 
more than a thousand strong, under General Atchi- 
son, and threatened to attack Lawrence, which was con- 
sidered by them as the "headquarters of sedition." They 
felt that if they could only break up this place it would 
put an end to the troubles that were afflicting Kansas, 
and they would thus secure the rights of the pro-slavery 
party in that Territory. They soon found a pretext and 
proceeded to make their descent upon Lawrence. The 
threatened attack, however, did not take place, owing to 
the negotiations that the governor of Kansas carried on 
with General Atchison. 

The Missourians, however, returned the following 
May and thoroughly sacked the town. The printing 
offices and the hotel were the special objects of their 
vengeance. The newspapers that had been published 
at Lawrence had been obnoxious to the pro-slavery party 
on account of the views they had expressed, and the 
hotel had been the headquarters of the "free state" sup- 
porters. The presses were, therefore, broken up, and the 
files, type, and other stock were thrown out into the 
streets. The hotel was burned to the ground after an un- 
successful attempt had first been made to blow it to pieces. 
Moreover, many private dwellings also were burned, 
and a great deal of looting was committed. Three men 



KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES 317 

lost their lives, two being murdered and one killed by 
accident. 

Although matters had become very disgraceful by this 2. Dutch 
time, they were shortly to become worse because of the ^^^^y'^ 

. -^ •' ^ Crossing 

atrocities that were committed by John Brown and his 
followers at Dutch Henry's Crossing on Pottawotamie 
Creek in May, 1856. Brown had come to Kansas from 
Ohio early in that year and had settled at Ossawotamie, 
where five of his sons had already settled. He began at 
once to take an active part against the pro- slavery party 
in Kansas. In fact, it has been said that he had come, not 
to make a home for himself, but to strike a physical blow 
at slavery, which he hated with an undying hatred. He 
was in Lawrence when the Missourians made their first 
attack upon it in December, 1855, and on hearing of the 
agreement between the governor of Kansas and General 
Atchison, he publicly denounced it in bitter language. 
Nothing was done by Brown, however, until after the 
attack upon Lawrence by the Missourians on May 
21. The news of this attack reached Ossawotamie 
the same day, and immediately a force of men, among 
whom was Brown, set out from that place for Lawrence. 
While on this expedition, Brown planned in retaliation a 
raid upon some slaveholders near Dutch Henry's Crossing 
on Pottawotamie Creek, not very far from Ossawotamie. 
Gathering a group of not more than seven or eight men, 
Brown disclosed to them his design, namely, "to sweep 
off all pro-slavery men up and down Pottawotamie." 
On securing their consent to this plan, he proceeded to 
carry it out. Going from cabin to cabin in the dead of 
the night, he and his band dragged out five unarmed men 
and murdered them in cold blood. 

Although this diabolical deed was condemned by both 
pro-slavery and anti-slavery people, it was responsible for 
"much of the havoc and anarchy in which the Kansas of 
1856 weltered." "To the intensity of hate was added 
the wild delirium of fear," and when it was suspected that 



3ii 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Destruc- 
tion of Ossa- 
wotamie 



4. Interven- 
tion of 
United 
States 
Troops 



Brown was responsible for the Pottawotamie murders, 
the Missourians tried to run him down and capture him. 
This, however, they never succeeded in doing. ^ But 
they inaugurated retaHatory deeds of violence and executed 
them with inflamed passions. Manifestoes were drawn up 
by such Missourians as Atchison, Stringfellow, Doniphan, 
and others declaring that war was being waged by Aboli- 
tionists and urging resistance. A large body of Mis- 
sourians gathered on the Kansas border expecting to be 
called in by the Kansas governor, who was supposed to 
be in sympathy with their cause, to assist in putting down 
the "free state" supporters. But the summons never 
came. 

The Missourians were not, however, to be balked in 
their revenge. Among other things done by them was 
the destruction of Ossawotamie, "Old Brown's Head- 
quarters," on August 30, 1856. They came, about two 
hundred and fifty strong, drove off the small force that 
opposed them, and then fired the town, leaving not more 
than three or four cabins standing. 

Naturally these deeds of violence called forth action on 
the part of the " free state " people in Kansas, and plans 
were made for an attack on Lecompton, the political center 
of the pro-slavery people. The attack failed. In return 
about 3000 Missourians gathered on the border and were 
meditating the destruction of every "free state " settlement 
in the Territory. From this threatened disaster the Ter- 
ritory was saved by the intervention of United States 
troops in the latter part of 1856. Under the protection 
of these troops an election for a territorial legislature 
was held in October, 1857, and was carried by the anti- 
slavery people of the Territory. 



^ Among the Missourians who attempted to capture Brown was 
Captain Pate, who had recruited a company of 75 or 80 men mostly 
from Westport, Missouri. Pate, however, not only failed to cap- 
ture Brown, but he and many of his men were forced to surrender 
to the very man they had intended to take. 



KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES 319 

The election of a free territorial legislature gave the 
anti-slavery party a legal standing such as it had not 
yet had in the Territory, and although the pro-slavery 
party in Kansas kept up the contest and tried to get 
Congress to admit Kansas under a pro-slavery constitu- 
tion, it was compelled ultimately to succumb to the anti- 
slavery party. Kansas was admitted into the Union as 
a free state in January, 1861 . 

With the election of a free territorial legislature in invasions of 

1857, the invasions of the Missourians into Kansas came ?^*^soun 
... . by J*y- 

to an end, and our immediate interest in the history of hawkers" 

the struggle between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery par- 
ties in Kansas from 1857 to i860, ceases. However, during 
that period of three years the border struggle between the 
Kansans and the Missourians continued, but with the 
tables reversed. It now came the turn for the Kansas 
"Jayhawkers" to invade the Missouri border counties 
and harass and annoy the people living there. The worst 
depredations were committed in Cass, Bates, Vernon, i. Object 
and Barton counties, along the western border south of ?^ ,^^^'„ 

° hawkers 

Kansas City. Some of the "Jayhawkers" made raids 
into Missouri for the purpose of striking at slavery, 
but most of them were bent purely upon mischief. 
Marauding, robbery, horse-stealing, and murder were 
frequently committed, and in many of the sections of 
the western border the people were forced to abandon 
their homes and go into the interior of the counties 
for safety. 

Local volunteer companies were organized in the sum- 2. Coopera- 
mer of 1858 in these southwestern counties, especially ^°" °^ 

^ ' 1 J Governors 

in Bates and Cass, for the purpose of warding off these of Missouri 
" Jayhawking " attacks. By fall the situation had become ^"'^ ^^"'^^ 
so serious that Governor Stewart of Missouri felt com- 
pelled to place an armed force along the border for the 
protection of the people against the Kansas bandits. 
Governor Denver of Kansas cooperated with Governor 
Stewart by ordering a company of Rangers to patrol the 



320 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3- John 
Brown's 
Raid into 
Missouri, 
1858 



4. Mont- 
gomery's 
Raid, i860 



border. 1 For a time these measures taken by the two 
governors caused matters to quiet down considerably, 
but the fires were fanned into flames again by the John 
Brown raid into Missouri in December, 1858. 

This raid was occasioned by a negro from Missouri ap- 
pearing in Brown's camp near Ossawotamie on December 
19, 1858, and begging that he and his family be rescued 
from slavery before they were sold to be carried down 
South. The next night Brown with a number of men 
from his company made a foray into Missouri and secured 
in all eleven slaves and carried them into Kansas. One 
slave owner who resisted the raiders was killed. After 
having been kept in concealment for more than a month, 
these liberated slaves eluded their pursuers and were 
sent on to Canada. 

Governor Stewart reported the situation in detail to 
the legislature when it convened in January, 1859, and 
submitted the memorials that had come to him from the 
citizens of Bates and Vernon counties asking for speedy re- 
lief from "the thieves, robbers, and midnight assassins" 
that were preying upon the western border. The legis- 
lature responded promptly by appropriating $30,000 and 
putting it at the disposal of the governor to enable him 
"to suppress and bring to justice the bandits on the 
western border of the State and to raise a sufficient force 
to protect the western border." Stewart put a price of 
$3000 on the head of Brown, but that proved useless. 
Brown eluded everybody and before long he disappeared 
from Kansas. 

Things quieted down again as the stunmer of 1859 
came on, and remained peaceful until the election of 
Lincoln. Then occurred the most alarming disorders that 
disturbed the border between 1857 and i860. Several 
raids into Missouri were made by the " Jayhawkers " dur- 

^ Governor Stewart appealed to President Buchanan for United 
States troops to guard the border, but was told that no men were 
available for that service. 



KANSAS BORDER TROUBLES 321 

ing November and December, i860. Among these raids 
the most noted was the one led by James Montgomery 
into Vernon County. Montgomery established himself at 
Fort Scott, just across the Missouri line, and threatened 
to wipe slavery out of southern Missouri. In addition 
to the raids which he made into Missouri, he fell upon a 
number of Missourians who were at the time in Kansas. 
Among the Missourians who were killed in Kansas were 
Russell Hines, who was caught while attempting to re- 
cover a fugitive slave, and Samuel Scott, who had for- 
merly been sheriff of Bates County but who had moved to 
Kansas. The terror became so great along the border 
that the people again abandoned their homes and fled into 
the interior. In many districts the abandoned homes 
were burned by the invaders. 

So serious did the situation become that Governor Stew- s- Restora- 
art decided to send special military forces to the border 
again. Troops were therefore drawn from Jefferson City 
and St. Louis and sent down under Generals Frost and 
Parsons. Upon the arrival of these troops order was soon 
restored. But peace was not permanently established 
until after the Civil War. As we shall see in a subsequent 
chapter, the strife that was begun along the border in 
1855 continued through the Civil War period, and many 
of the worst features of the war in Missouri arose from 
the bitterness that was engendered on the western border 
before 1861. 

REFERENCES 

Carr, Missouri, pp. 241-259. Burgess, Middle Period, chs. xx-xxi. 
Spring, Kansas. A very readable and fairly reliable account of the 
border troubles between Kansas and Missouri. Smith, Parlies 
and Slavery, chs. ix and xi. Viles, "Documents Illustrating the 
Troubles on the Border, 1858-60," in the Missouri Historical Review 
for April, July, and October, 1907. Snyder, "Battle of Ossawota- 
mie," in the Missouri Historical Review for January, 1912, pp. 82-85. 



tion of Order 



CHAPTER XV 

THE CIVIL WAR — MISSOURI DECIDES TEMPORARILY 
AGAINST SECESSION 

[Historical Setting. — The Secession of the First Seven South- 
em States.] 

Border The election of Lincoln to the Presidency in November, 

Secession i860, precipitated almost immediately the secession of 
South Carolina from the Union. Before Lincoln was 
inaugurated six other states followed South Carolina out 
of the Union, and within three months after his inaugura- 
tion four other states likewise seceded. With great 
anxiety the North watched the remaining slave states 
(Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri) to see 
what they would do. It was feared that they too would 
join their seceding sisters and thus seal the permanent 
disruption of the Union. Fortunately for the cause of 
freedom, however, they did not secede, and undoubtedly 
the final success of the North is due in part to the loyal 
attitude taken by these border slave states. 

But only one of these — Delaware — unreservedly 
joined the North. In Maryland and Kentucky an effort 
was made to inaugurate and maintain a policy of neu- 
trality, but this did not succeed, and both of these states 
were soon ranged on the side of the North. In Missouri 
there was a long-drawn-out struggle between the conflict- 
ing forces, and for some time the matter was in doubt. 
Ultimately, however, the Union forces succeeded in getting 
the situation in hand in the State and thus kept her 
from seceding. How they succeeded in doing this is 
the theme of the present chapter and of the three or four 
immediately following. 

322 



THE CIVIL WAR ^2 7, 

In order to get our bearings for the study of this subject, Elections in 
we must go back to the election of i860. At that time JJ^^^®"" '° 
the State and the national elections were not held in Mis- 
souri on the same day, as they now are, but took place in 
different months, the State election in August and the 
national election in November. At no previous time had 
the political situation been so complicated in Missouri as 
it was in i860. This was due primarily to the turn that 
had been given to national political affairs prior to the 
State election in August. And in order to see what that 
turn was, it is necessary to review for a moment the con- 
ventions that were held by the great national parties 
during the summer of i860. 

The great issue that was before the country in i860 i. National 
was that of slavery in the territories. This issue divided Conventions 
the Democratic party into two sections. One section, 
composed mainly of Northern Democrats, declared that 
the people in the territories should decide for themselves 
the question of slavery. They nominated Douglas of 
Illinois, the leading advocate of squatter or popular 
sovereignty, as their candidate for President. The other 
section, consisting chiefly of Southern Democrats, in- 
sisted that Congress should protect slavery in all of the 
territories. Their candidate was Breckenridge of Ken- 
tucky. The Republican party, made up almost entirely 
of Northerners, declared that neither Congress nor a 
territorial legislature had any right to give slavery legal 
existence in any territory of the United States, They 
nominated Lincoln of Illinois. The Conservative Union, 
party was composed of Whigs and Conservatives, and 
avoiding the word " slavery " in their platform, declared 
that they recognized no political principle other than the 
Constitution of the country, the imion of states, and the 
enforcement of laws. They nominated Bell of Tennessee. 

The split in the national Democratic party gave the 2. Results 
managers of that party in Missouri the very difficult ^" Missouri 
problem of keeping the two factions united in State 



324 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

politics. Claiborne F. Jackson, the Democratic nominee 
for governor, tried to keep himself neutral between the 
two factions. But, owing to the pressure that was 
brought to bear on him, he was forced to come out 
in favor of Douglas, whereupon the Southern Demo- 
crats nominated Hancock Jackson for governor. The 

(a) Governor Republicans nominated James B. Gardenhire, and the 

Conservative Unionists or old Whigs nominated Semple 
Orr. The vote as cast for these candidates was as fol- 
lows : Claiborne F. Jackson, 74,446 ; Semple Orr, 64,583 ; 
Hancock Jackson, 11,415; James B. Gardenhire, 6135. 
The race was between the Douglas Democrats and the 
Conservative Unionists, the candidate of the former 
party winning by a few less than 10,000 votes. 

(b) Legisia- The legislature elected at the same time contained 
^^'^^ representatives of all four of these parties. In the senate 

there were 33 members, of whom 15 were Breckinridge 
or Southern Democrats; 10 Douglas or Northern Demo- 
crats ; 7 Conservative Unionists ; and i Republican. 
In the house there were 132 members, among whom 
were 47 Breckinridge Democrats, 36 Douglas Demo- 
crats, 37 Conservative Unionists, and 12 Republicans. 
From this tabulation it will be seen that the Breckin- 
ridge Democrats had the lead over any other one party, 
but not enough to control the situation by themselves. 
It was, therefore, necessary for the two wings of the 
Democratic party to combine their forces in order to 
give either of them a share in the organization of the 
legislature. By making this combination the Breckin- 
ridge Democrats were able to elect their candidate as 
speaker of the house. On the other hand, the newly 
elected lieutenant governor, Thomas C. Reynolds, was, 
like Governor Jackson, a Douglas Democrat. 

(c) President In the Presidential election, as in the State elections, 

the race in Missouri was between the Douglas Democrats 
and the Conservative Unionists, but with a much closer 
margin. Practically every white man in the State voted 



THE CIVIL WAR 325 

at this election. The total vote, 165,518, was distributed 
as follows: Douglas, 58,801; Bell, 58,372; Breckin- 
ridge, 31,317 ; Lincoln, 17,028.^ Douglas carried the elec- 
toral vote of the State, but with a very narrow margin 
of only 429 votes. It will be noted that the two leading 
Presidential candidates were representatives of the more 
or less conservative parties and that their combined votes 
amounted to a little more than seventy per cent of all 
the votes cast for President in the State. On the other 
hand, the representatives of the radical parties received 
all together a vote that was about 10,000 less than that 
cast for either of the other two leading candidates. It 
is significant, however, that the vote for Douglas and 
Bell was considerably less than that which had been 
cast for the Douglas and the Bell candidates for gov- 
ernor in the preceding August election, and that the 
votes for Breckinridge and Lincoln were about three 
times the number that had been cast for the Breckin- 
ridge and the Lincoln candidates for governor. Between 
August and November the radical parties had gained 
considerably in Missouri. 

When the legislature met in regular session on De- Attitude of 
cember 31, i860, it was confronted with the momentous tu^e toward' 
problem of determining what Missouri's attitude should Secession 
be toward the South. By that time South Carolina 
had seceded from the Union, and it was a foregone con- 
clusion that other Southern states would follow. In 
fact, by February i, 1861, six other states (Mississippi, 
Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas) had 
withdrawn from the Union. That the retiring and the in- 

1 "Out of every 165 men who went to the polls, 17 were quite 
positive that the existence of slavery should cease ; 31 were equally 
positive that slavery should be extended or the Union dissolved ; 
59 favored squatter sovereignty or local option in the territories 
in regard to slavery ; 58 thought that all this fuss about the negro 
was absurd, criminal, and dangerous, and ought to be stopped at 
once by suppression, — if necessary, by hanging the extremists on 
both sides and letting things go on just as they had been." 



326 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. Message 
of Governor 
Stewart 



coming governors of Missouri appreciated the seriousness 
of the situation is seen from their official utterances at 
the opening of the legislature. The retiring governor 
was Robert M. Stewart.^ Although a Northern man by 
birth, he had been a strong advocate of squatter sover- 
eignty and declared "that the Southern people had the 
right to take their slaves into all the territories and hold 
them there under the protection of the Constitution." In 
his final message to the legislature, he came out decidedly 
against secession and said that, whatever the other slave 
states did, Missouri should remain in the Union. He 
recognized, however, that there were obligations resting 
upon the North and insisted that it should give adequate 
guarantees to the South that all the just rights of the 
states should be observed. In fact, he maintained that 
the Union could be preserved on no other basis. 

The inaugural address of the new governor, Claiborne 
F. Jackson, 2 had a different ring. Holding that the 

1 Robert M. Stewart enjoyed the distinction of being the only 
governor of Missouri who had up to this time been a native of a 
Northern state. He was born in New York in 1815. He afterward 
moved to Kentucky, where he studied law and was admitted to 
the bar. He came to Missouri in 1829 and in a few years settled 
in St. Joseph. From 1846 to 1857 he was a member of the State 
senate. In 1857 he was elected governor to fill out an unexpired 
term of Trusten Polk, who had been elected to the United States 
Senate. 

^Claiborne F. Jackson was born in Kentucky in 1806, of Vir- 
ginia parentage. He came to Missouri while yet in his 'teens, and 
succeeded so well in business that he was able at the age of thirty 
to devote himself almost exclusively to politics. In 1856 he was 
elected to the legislature and from that time to his death in 1862 
he was in public life continuously. At one time he was speaker 
of the house and for a time he was a member of the State senate. 
In 1849, as chairman of the committee of the State senate on 
Federal relations, he reported the famous "Jackson Resolutions" 
which instructed the United States Senators from Missouri (es- 
pecially Benton) to support only those measures that gave the 
people in the territories the right to determine for themselves 
whether slavery should exist in those territories or not. In th^ 



THE CIVIL WAR 



327 



Republican party, which had just elected Lincoln to the 
presidency, was committed to the abolition of slavery 
ever>'Avhere, he urged that Missouri would "best consult 
her own interests and the 
interests of the whole 
country by a timely dec- 
laration to stand by her 
sister slave-owning states, 
in whose wrong she par- 
ticipated and with whose 
institutions and people 
she sympathized." That 
meant that if the Union 
was to be destroyed Mis- 
souri should go with her 
sister slaveholding states 
of the South. Like 
Stewart, Jackson hoped 
that the North and the 
South might reach some 
sort of an agreement and 
thus preserve the Union, 
but unlike Stewart he declared that if the Union was 
divided, Missouri should go with the South. 

There is not any doubt that Governor Jackson voiced 
the views and opinions of the majority of the mem- 
bers of the legislature. But that body felt that the ques- 

mighty contest that ensued between Benton and his opponents, 
when Benton made his "Appeal" from the "Resolutions" to the 
people of Missouri, Jackson took a very prominent part and of 
course profited by Benton's defeat. He was described as being 
"tall, erect, dignified; a vigorous thinker and a fluent and forcible 
speaker, always interesting and often eloquent ; a well-informed 
man, thoroughly conversant with politics of Missouri and of the 
Union ; with positive opinions on all public questions and the 
courage to express and uphold them. He was courteous in his 
bearing toward all men, for he was kindhearted and by nature a 
democrat ; and a truthful, honest, and honorable gentleman." 



2. Inaugural 
Address of 
Governor 
Jackson 




Claiborne F. Jackson 

Governor of Missouri at the outbreak of 
the Civil War. 



3. Provision 
Made for a 
State 
Convention 



328 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



4. Resolu- 
tion against 
the Coercion 
of the South- 
ern States 



tion of the relation of the State to the Union should 
be dealt with by a convention officially elected for that 
purpose, and it therefore promptly passed a bill providing 
for such a convention. The date of election was set for 
February 18 and the date for the meeting of the con- 
vention for February 28. From each senatorial district 
there were to be elected three times as many delegates 
as State senators to which the district was entitled. 
Although the convention was authorized to adopt such 
measures for vindicating the sovereignty of the State and 
for the protection of its institutions as should appear to 
be demanded, the bill specifically provided that "no 
act, ordinance, or resolution of said convention shall be 
deemed to be valid to change or dissolve the political 
relations of this State to the government of the United 
States or to any other state until a majority of qualified 
voters of this State voting upon the question shall ratify 
the same." The bill was carried in the senate by a vote 
of 30 to 2, and in the house by a vote of 105 to 18. It 
is significant that 11 of the 18 adverse votes cast in the 
house came from St. Louis, where abolition sentiment 
was strongest. 

Shortly after this measure had been passed, a Congress- 
man from Mississippi arrived in Jefferson City to an- 
nounce that his state had seceded and to ask for the coop- 
eration of Missouri. He was very graciously received by 
Governor Jackson and was given the privilege of making 
an address to the legislature. A few days later the 
legislature put itself on record regarding coercion against 
seceding states by passing a resolution declaring that so 
"abhorrent was the doctrine of coercion that any attempt 
at such would result in the people of Missouri rallying 
on the side of their Southern brethren to resist to the last 
extremity." Against this resolution there was but one 
vote in the senate and only fourteen in the house. 

The election that was held on February 18 was a great 
surprise and a bitter disappointment to those who had 



THE CIVIL WAR 



329 



been counting on Missouri seceding from the Union.' Election of 
The secessionists had been comforting themselves witli to^the**^^ 
the notion that the election would plainly reveal the fact Convention 
that Missouri could be counted on to follow South Caro- 
lina and the other cotton states. But of the 99 members 




Missouia Counties in i860 

Reproduced by permission of the Political Science Department of the 
University of Missouri. 

elected to the convention, not one was in favor of imme- i. "Condi- 
diate secession. All of them might be classed as either ^£°g"n !.^ '"°" 
' ' conditional Union men " or " unconditional Union men. ' ' ^ 

1 On that day Jeflferson Davis was inaugurated president of the 
Southern Confederacy. 

2 Of the 99 members, 53 were natives of Virginia or Kentucky, 
and all but 17 had been bom in slave states — 13 in Northern states, 
three in Germany, and one in Ireland. 



330 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



The "conditional Union men" constituted by far the 
larger group in the convention. They held that the 
Union should be preserved, but they would pledge them- 
selves neither to remain with 
it under all circumstances nor 
to secede if Congress did not 
arrange a satisfactory com- 
promise between the North 
and the South. Among the 
constituents of these "condi- 
tional Union men " were most 
of the old-time Whigs and 
the Democrats. 

The "unconditional Union 
men " were determined to up- 
hold the Union at whatever 
cost. They represented prac- 
tically all the Republicans, a 
good many Northern Demo- 
crats, and some of the Whigs. 
Frank P. Blair, although not 
a member of the convention, 
was the leader of their group. ^ 
That the legislature accepted the results of the election 
as unmistakable in their meaning is seen from the fact 




Frank P. Blair 

The leader of the Unionists of 
Missouri at the outbreak of the Civil 
War. From Stevens' 'Missouri, the 
Center State, by permission of the 
Missouri Historical Societv. 



' Blair was a Kentuckian by birth and was at this time just forty 
years of age. He came to Missouri in 1843 and began the study 
of law in the office of his brother. Judge Montgomery Blair, who 
afterward became Postmaster General under Lincoln. At the 
time the war with Mexico began he was in Santa Fc for his 
health, and after that place had been taken by Kearny, Blair was 
made attorney general of the Territory of New Mexico. He re- 
turned to St. Louis in 1847 and plunged into politics the next year. 
He soon became an anti-slavery leader. In 1848 he supported 
Van Buren, the Free Soil candidate for President, and the next year 
he championed the cause of Senator Benton in the struggle that 
had been precipitated in the State by the "Jackson Resolutions." 
Benton, much to his own hurt, had a sort of contempt for the 



sion of the 
Convention 



THE CIVIL WAR 33 1 

that the bill which it had been considering, that provided 
for arming and equipping the militia, probably for the 
purpose of preparing the State for secession, was promptly 
laid aside as futile. 

On February 28 the convention met at Jefferson City First Ses 
and perfected its organization by electing Sterling Price, ^ 
a " conditional Union man," president. As soon as this 
was done the convention adjourned to St. Louis. This 
action was no doubt due to the well-laid plans of the 
Union men of St. Louis, who saw that, notwithstanding 
the fact that there were no secessionists in the conven- 

younger men growing up in the Democratic party in Missouri, 
and would have nothing to do with any of them but Blair. In 
1852 Blair was elected to the legislature on the Benton ticket 
and was reelected in 1854. In 1856 he was elected to Congress 
and after dropping out for a term was reelected in i860. Be- 
cause of his attitude toward slavery, Blair might well be called 
an Abolitionist. But his opposition to slavery was based not so 
much on sentimental grounds as on the economic position that the 
system was a burden to society. He was not only opposed to 
slavery, but he was also bitterly opposed to secession. Under no 
circumstances would he favor the withdrawing of Missouri from 
the Union. Because of his fearless courage and great ability, he 
was readily recognized as the leader of the "unconditional Union 
men of Missouri." 

^ Sterling Price was bom in Virginia in 1809. He came to Mis- 
souri in 1 83 1, and after living at Fayette for two years he moved 
to Chariton County, where at first he engaged in mercantile 
business in Keytesville, and later in farming near that place. In 
1840 he was elected a member of the legislature and was chosen 
speaker. In 1842 he was reelected to both positions. In 1844 he 
was elected to Congress, but resigned his seat in that body on the 
breaking out of the war with Mexico. He. was commissioned by 
President Polk to raise a regiment to reenforce Kearny, who had 
set out on his Santa Fe expedition. After reaching Santa F^. 
Price was left in charge of the place, while Doniphan went on 
the expedition against Chihuahua. In 1852 Price was elected 
governor of Missouri as an anti-Benton man. His career during 
the Civil War will be outlined in the chapters that follow. Per- 
haps no other man ever won the esteem of his followers as did 
Price. He was known familiarly as " Pap " Price. 



332 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. Report of 
the Com- 
mittee 
on Federal 
Relations 



tion, there was great danger in allowing it to continue its 
sessions in Jefferson City where the secessionists were so 
strong in the legislature. These Union men of St. Louis 
therefore got certain members from the country districts 
to introduce and support a motion to adjourn the con- 
vention to St. Louis, and authorized them to offer that 
body the free use of a hall in the Mercantile Library 
building and also free transportation from Jefferson City 
to St. Louis. When these generous offers were submitted, 
the convention quickly voted to accept them. Accord- 
ingly the convention transferred itself to St. Louis, 

restuning its sessions there 
on March 4. On the day 
that it reassembled, a 
representative of Georgia 
appeared before it and an- 
nounced the secession of 
his State, urging Missouri 
to do likewise. 

The most important 
business transacted by the 
convention was the adop- 
tion of a report made by a 
committee of thirteen on 
Federal relations. The 
chairman of this committee 
was Hamilton R. Gamble, 
who was destined to be- 
come Missouri's war gov- 
ernor before many months 
passed. The report consisted of a series of resolutions, 
the first and most important of which declared that at 
present there was "no adequate cause to impel Missouri 
to dissolve her connections with the Federal Union, but 
on the contrary she will labor for such an adjustment of 
existing troubles as will gain the peace, as well as the 
rights and equality, of all of the states." This resolution 




Sterling Price 

Governor of Missouri, 1852-56, and 
the most prominent Southern leader in 
Missouri during the Civil War. From 
Stevens' Missouri, the Center State, by 
permission of the Missouri Historical 
Society. 



THE CIVIL WAR 333 

was adopted by the convention with only one dissenting 
vote. Another of these resolutions declared that the 
people of Missouri would support the efforts that were 
still being made at Washington to effect a compromise 
between the North and the South ; and another denied 
the use of military force by the Federal Government to 
coerce into submission the seceding states or by the seced- 
ing states to assail the Government of the United States. 

Other resolutions expressing different views of the 2. Con- 
matter were introduced into the convention, but failed other "^'""^^ 
of passage. One provided that Missouri would "never Resolutions 
permit men or money for the purpose of aiding the Federal 
Government in any attempts to coerce a seceding state." 
Another pledged Missouri to secede if the Union should be 
broken up. But the majority of the convention were 
against making any promises or pledges which would 
hinder its future policy. At the saine time the convention 
gave no pledge that Missouri would stay in the Union 
under any and all circumstances. It was content merely 
to state clearly that for the present there was no adequate 
reason for Missouri to withdraw from the Union. After 3- Adjourn- 
adopting Gamble's resolution the convention decided, on ^^call^ ^^^ 
March 22, to adjourn subject to the call of the executive 
committee. By this action it prolonged its own existence 
and opened a way for it to become a factor in the later 
developments, as we shall shortly see. 

On March 28, the legislature likewise adjourned without Adjoum- 
having made any arrangements for raising and support- ^^^to^the 
ing the militia for the protection of the State. Matters 
were in suspense. Unforeseen events soon precipitated 
a great struggle in Missouri which lasted for four long 
years. 

REFERENCES 

Carr, Missouri, ch. xviii. McElroy, Struggle for Missouri, 
pp. 1-50. This book is based largely on Peckham's General Nathaniel 
Lyon and Snead's Fight for Missouri, two of the most valuable books 
that have been written on the early period of the war in Missouri. 



334 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

The first of these books presents the Northern point of view, and 
the second the Southern. Both of them are now out of print and 
hard to get. Anderson, A Border City in the Civil War, pp. 1-62. 
The author of this book served as pastor of the Second Baptist 
Church in St. Louis from 1858 to 1866. He was an ardent Union 
man and took a very active part in the pubhc affairs of that city 
during his residence there. In this book he relates in a most in- 
teresting manner many of the stirring events that occurred in St. 
Louis during the war. His account of the fight for the Arsenal and 
of the capture of Camp Jackson is especially illuminating. Rom- 
bauer. The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861, chs. iv-viii. The 
author of this book was a colonel in the Union army and lived in 
St. Louis during the war. He writes at first hand concerning many 
of the things dealt with in this book. 



over the 
Convention 



CHAPTER XVI 
THE CIVIL WAR — THE FIRST STRUGGLE FOR MISSOURI 

[Historical Setting. — The same as that of Chapter XV.] 

The action of the convention in standing out against Disappoint- 
secession was approved by the majority of the people Q^"gj°oj 
in the State. To Governor Jackson and a goodly number Jackson 
in the legislature, however, the convention had been a 
very bitter disappointment. They believed that war 
was inevitable, and that Missouri should join the seceding 
states without further delay. They had held this view 
even before the convention had declared that there was 
as yet no cause for Missouri severing her relations with 
the Union. They were determined, therefore, not to be 
balked in their purpose by the action of the convention, 
and they decided to await developments and to hold 
themselves in readiness to take Missouri out of the Union 
when the opportunity presented itself. 

Events moved very rapidly in Missouri during the Jackson 
month following the adjournment of the convention, r^m^i^ °th 
On April 12, Fort Sumter was fired upon by the Con- Lincoln's 
federates, and on April 15 Lincoln made his call for 75,000 * 
troops. Missouri was asked by the Secretary of War to 
furnish four regiments of infantry as her quota of the 
75,000. In reply to this request Governor Jackson said: 
"There can be, I apprehend, no doubt but these men are 
intended to form a part of the President's army to make 
war upon the people of the seceded states. Your requi- 
sition, in my judgment, is illegal, unconstitutional, and 
revolutionary in its objects, inhuman and diabolical, and 
cannot be complied with. Not a man will the State of 
Missouri furnish to carry out such an unholy crusade." 

335 



336 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Jackson and 
the Federal 
Arsenals in 
Missouri 



I. Capture 
of the 
Liberty 
Arsenal 



2. Plans to 
Capture the 
St. Louis 
Arsenal 



There were at that time two United States Government 
arsenals in Missouri, a rather small one near Liberty, and 
a larger one at St. Louis. Now that Governor Jackson 
had defied the National Government, it was in order for 
him to seize these arsenals and use the military supplies 
therein in equipping the State militia for disunion pur- 
poses. On the 2oth of April, nine days after the firing 
upon Fort Sumter and six days after Lincoln's call for 
75,000 volunteers, a company of about 200 men, mostly 

from Clay and 
Jackson counties, 
took the arsenal 
at Liberty and 
carried away the 
stock of guns and 
ammunition they 
found there. 

Plans were on 

foot at the same 

time to capture 

the arsenal at St. 

The Federal Arsenal at St. Louis Louis, but the task 

From a photograph made in 1861. See the map of of taking thlS One 

St. Louis on page 340 for the location of the arsenal. ^^^^ ^ mUch bigecr 

and more complicated affair than that at Liberty. The 
vSt. Louis arsenal was situated in the southern part of 
the city. It covered 56 acres of ground, fronting on the 
Mississippi River and was surrounded by a high stone wall 
on all sides except on the side along the river. Within the 
four massive buildings that were inclosed by this wall 
there were stored, according to one authority, 60,000 
stands of arms, mostly Enfield and Springfield rifles, 
1,500,000 cartridges, and 90,000 pounds of powder, besides 
other munitions of various kinds. ^ 

• According to another authority the only arms in the arsenal 
at the time were 30,000 percussion cap muskets, 1000 rifles, a few 
unfit cannon, and a few hundred flintlock muskets. 




THE CIVIL WAR 337 

Because of the location of the arsenal and the supplies 
contained therein, the question as to which side should get 
possession of it was one of very great importance. It is 
true that before the election of members to the State 
convention had been held, this arsenal might have been 
taken just as easily as the arsenal at Liberty. The garrison 
was not large, and Major Bell, who was the commander 
at the time, had intimated to General Frost of the State 
militia that he would not resist the proper State authorities 
if they demanded the surrender of the arsenal.^ But 
by the time the great crisis arrived, the troops at the 
arsenal had been considerably increased in number and a 
new commander had been placed in charge. With these 
changes, the arsenal could not be taken except by using 
considerable force. 

That Governor Jackson contemplated using force (a) Reas- 
seems very evident from the moves he made. First of ^^"^^^"so 

■' the Legisla- 

all, he summoned the legislature to reassemble on ture 
May 2. In his message to that body he reviewed the 
events that had occurred since it had adjourned, and he 
declared that the country was in imminent danger of 
destruction. Believing that the interests and sympathies 
of Missouri were identical with those of the slaveholding 
states, he recommended that the people of the State should 
be armed so that they might defend themselves against 
the aggression of all assailants. 

Jackson not only reconvened the legislature, but also (6) Muster- 
issued an order directing the militia throughout the State '"l?,.". ^^^^ 

° ... Mibtia in 

to go into camp in their respective districts on May 3 Camps 
and to remain there for six days for the purpose of under- 
going military drill and practice. Under this order, a 
force of about 700 men under General Frost encamped in 

1 Major Bell had been in charge of the arsenal at St. Louis for 
several years and, because of his financial interests in the city, had 
come to regard St. Louis as his home. On being removed from 
the command of the arsenal, he was ordered to report at New York. 
But he resigned from the army and retired to a farm near St. Louis. 



33^ 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



a beautiful grove just within the western city limits of St. 
Louis, which was named Camp Jackson in honor of the 
governor.^ 

In issuing this order gathering the State militia into 
camps, the governor was acting strictly according to law. 
"As to the legality of Camp Jackson there can be no doubt 
at all ; there has never been any pretense that it was an 
unlawful assemblage or an illegitimate muster." 

But as to the object that Governor Jackson had in 
mind in gathering the troops at Camp Jackson, there is 




^ u 



t":: 



(c) War 
Material 
Secured from 
President 
Davis 



Camp Jackson 

From a photograph taken shortly before its capture on May lo, 1861. See 
the plot of Camp Jackson on page 345, and the map of St. Louis on page 349 for 
the location of the camp. 

certainly no doubt that he was contemplating some- 
thing that looked toward the capture of the government 
arsenal at St. Louis. This is borne out by the fact that 
he had applied to Jefferson Davis, president of the South- 
ern Confederacy, for guns and munitions to assist in 
taking the arsenal, and that shortly afterward a large 

' On April 17 General Frost presented a memorial to Governor 
Jackson asking for authority to station the militia on the bluffs 
south of the arsenal. If this had been done at that time, it 
would have given the State Guard a decided military advantage 
in case of any contest with the force in the arsenal. But by the 
time Jackson called the militia to camp early in May, Lyon had 
occupied all the heights near the arsenal, so that Frost had to locate 
his camp in Lindell Grove, in the western part of the city. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



339 



amount of war material that had been taken from the 

arsenal at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was put on a steamboat 

and shipped under the disguise of ale, marble, etc. to 

St. Louis. On arriving at St. Louis, this material was 

promptly transferred to Camp Jackson in drays. It 

looked as though an attempt 

to capture the arsenal would 

be made by the Missouri 

secessionists in a very short 

time. That the attempt was 

not made is due to Nathaniel 

Lyon and Frank P. Blair, the 

two most uncompromising 

Unionists in all Missouri at 

that time.^ 

Lyon had arrived at the 
arsenal in St. Louis on Febru- 
ary 6 with a company of 
eighty regulars from 




— -ff 



Capture of 

Camp 

Jackson 



General Nathaniel Lyon 

Captor of Camp Jackson. Killed 
Fort at the Battle of Wilson's Creek, 

Riley, Kansas, having been tr^"'' •'% "r'\ ^^>7 ?"'"''''' 

■' ' ' *=> Missouri, the Center State, by per- 

Ordered thence by General mission of the Missouri Historical 

Scott, who had been secretly ^°"^^y- 

informed by Blair as to the way matters were going in 
Missouri. Blair immediately recognized Lyon as a kindred i. Activity 
spirit, and from the outset they worked together zealously gig^jf^'^ 
to keep the secessionists in Missouri from gaining any 
advantage in the State. 

The first thing Lyon sought to do was to secure for 
himself the command of the arsenal, and in the course of a 

1 Nathaniel Lyon was born in Connecticut of old Puritan stock, 
in 1 817. In personal appearance he was "of less than medium 
height, slender and angular ; with abundant hair of sandy color 
and a coarse, reddish-brown beard. He had deep-set blue eyes ; 
features that were rough and homely ; and the weather-beaten 
aspect of a man who had seen much hard service on the frontier." 
In fact, he was directly from Kansas, where he had been engaged in 
military service for some time, and doubtless his experience in that 
unhappy country had intensified his hatred of slavery and slave- 



340 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

few weeks he succeeded. He then proceeded to place a 
patrol upon the streets leading to the arsenal to protect 
it from any possible attack that might be made. This 
brought him into conflict with the city authorities, and 
he was compelled by his military superior, General Harney, 
to withdraw the patrol. Lyon then managed through 
Blair to get Harney called to Washington to explain why 
he had forced Lyon to withdraw his patrol. With 
Harney gone, Lyon was left with a free hand in the city 
of St. Louis. Within two days he succeeded in getting 
a considerable portion of the guns and ammunition trans- 
ferred from the arsenal to Springfield, Illinois, for safe 
keeping. He was in constant fear that the arsenal would 
be captured as other arsenals had been in the Southern 
states, and he thought best to remove at least a part of 
the munitions from the one at St. Louis, so that if it was 
taken, the victors would not gain so great an advantage. 

Blair meanwhile had been engaged in organizing and 
drilHng military clubs in St. Louis called "Wide-awakes." ^ 
In fact, he had been engaged in this work ever since 
South Carolina seceded in December, i860. At first 
these clubs were without any arms. But after Governor 
Jackson refused to honor President Lincoln's call of 
April 15 for troops from Missouri, Blair offered his "Wide- 
awakes" as volunteers. His oflEer was promptly accepted ; 

holders ; he was marked for his inabihty to see more than one side 
of a question, for his intense convictions, his impatience of control, 
his intolerance of others, and his tireless energy. 

^ The "Wide-awakes" were originally merely political clubs that 
had first been organized by Blair during the presidential campaign 
of i860 for the purpose of carrying torches and banners in the 
Republican processions. The intense excitement that prevailed 
throughout the country after the election caused Blair to keep 
these clubs intact and to begin the task of transforming them 
into military companies. On the other hand, the "Minute Men" 
of the Democratic party also kept up their organization and their 
headquarters, and they too were transformed into military com- 
panies for the purpose of supporting the South. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



341 



the men in these companies were mustered into the United 
States service and forthwith received arms from the 
arsenal.^ 

Shortly after that a part of the State miUtia had, as we 
have already seen, gone into camp on May 3 near St. 
Louis, in what is called Camp Jackson. Fearing that 
the mustering of the troops here was a part of Jackson's 




Bird's-eye View of St. Louis in 1861 (Looking West) 

scheme to make an attack upon the arsenal, Lyon and 
Blair decided to move against the camp and capture it. 
The time was opportune, inasmuch as Lyon's immediate 
mihtary superior. General Harney, was still in Washington. 
Before deciding finally to attempt the capture of the 
camp, Lyon determined to see for himself just how things 
were. Disguising himself as an old woman he rode 
through the camp in a carriage on May 9. He saw the 
streets of the camp named after such men as Davis and 

1 A few arms had been secured for the "Wide-awakes" a short 
time before this, through a trick. Those interested in maintaining 
these military clubs planned an art exhibit and had shipped to 
St. Louis from the East a number of plaster casts and paintings to 
be used in the exhibit. But in some of the crates that were marked 
"casts" there were muskets. These crates were carefully opened 
in secret and the muskets were afterward handed out to the men. 



342 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Decision 
to Capture 
Camp 
Jackson 



3. Protests 
of General 

Frost 



Beauregard, two of the most prominent leaders in the 
Southern Confederacy, and he also saw, stacked up at the 
entrance of the camp, the arms and munitions that had 
been sent to St. Louis from Baton Rouge.^ 

That evening Lyon laid before the Committee of 
Safety of St. Louis his plan for taking the camp.^ Blair 
was present at this meeting. Lyon's plan was opposed 
by the more cautious of the committee, who argued 
that the governor had only ordered the encampment for 
six days and that it would therefore expire very shortly. 
To these objections Lyon held that the legislature might 
pass a military bill making the camp permanent, and if 
that were done, the secession sympathizers would flock 
into the camp in such numbers as to make it extremely 
difficult to capture. Moreover, word had been received 
that Harney was on his way back from Washington and 
Lyon did not want to run the risk of having such a man 
assume command again. He therefore decided to attack 
Camp Jackson on the next day. May 10, the last day 
of the encampment, and he succeeded in getting the 
committee to support him in his decision. 

General Frost was aware of what Lyon was planning, and 
on the morning of the loth he addressed a letter to the 
latter in which he stated that he had heard of rumors 
of an impending attack and protested against it as un- 

1 He impersonated Mrs. Alexander, the mother-in-law of Blair, 
who was an invalid and blind. She was accustomed to ride about 
the city of St. Louis with a heavy black veil over her face, and was 
therefore a familiar figure in the streets of the city. Dressed in her 
clothes and riding in her carriage, Lyon was not suspected at all 
during his drive through the camp. 

^ The Committee of Public Safety was organized in St. Louis 
early in the year by the "unconditional Union men " of that city. 
It consisted of Oliver D. Filley, then mayor of the city, John How, 
Samuel T. Glover, Frank P. Blair, James O. Broadhead, and J. J. 
Witzig. To these men was committed the task of looking after 
the cause of the Union in St. Louis, and it was under their direction 
that the Home Guards of that city were organized and prepared for 
military service. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



343 



warranted. He also notified the committee that he 
knew nothing about the arms stacked at the entrance 
of his camp, which were said to have come from Baton 
Rouge, and that, as far as he was concerned, the United 
States Marshal might come and take them. These 
protestations were of no avail. Lyon refused to receive 
the letter that had been addressed to him ; he had made 
up his mind to take 
the camp and would 
allow no parleying 
or delay. 

In accordance 
with his plans, he 
began early in the 
afternoon to move 
his troops, number- 
ing about 7000, to- 
ward the camp. 
Two detachments 
went through the 
central part of the 
city and a third along 
the western border. 
So well had Lyon 
planned the move- 
ments of his men, 
that the heads of the 
different columns appeared at the designated places almost 
simultaneously. As soon as he saw that his men had 
taken their positions, he sent a letter to Frost demanding 
the surrender of the camp within half an hour. Frost 
recognized the futility of offering any resistance and im- 
mediately replied that he was compelled to comply with 
the demand. On entering the camj:), Lyon proposed to 
release the prisoners at once provided they would swear 
to su]3port the Constitution of the United States. This 
they refused to do on the ground that they had not been 




General D 



Frost 



In charge of the State Guards at the time of 
the capture of Camp Jackson. From Stevens' 
Missouri, the Center State, by permission of the 
Missouri Historical Society. 



4. The Cap- 
ture of the 
Camp, May 
10, 1 861 



344 



IIlSrORY OF MISSOURI 



5. Clash be- 
tween the 
Federal 
Troops and 
the People 



Excitement 
in St. Louis 



in rebellion and that, if they took the oath demanded of 
them, it would be an acknowledgment on their part that 
they had been in rebellion. They then stacked their 
anns and marched out between two lines of Union soldiers 
toward the arsenal. 

Unfortunately the advance of the column of prisoners 
was halted a little way out of the camp to allow the 
forming of the rear. In a few moments a bloody disaster 
occurred. The crowd that had gathered to witness the 
event began, shortly after the halt was made, to indulge 
in hostile demonstrations against Lyon's men. At first 
these demonstrations consisted only of vulgar epithets 
and abusive language. Inasmuch as one of the German 
companies called itself " Die Schwarze Garde " (The 
Black Guard), the crowd began to call the troops in 
derision "Dutch Black-guards." Encouraged by the 
silence and forbearance of the troops, the crowd then 
began to hurl rocks, brick-bats, and other missiles, and 
according to some accounts, discharged pistols at them. 
This proved too much for Lyon's troops, and they re- 
taliated by firing upon the crowd. When the melee was 
over, it was found that fifteen had been killed, three of 
whom were Camp Jackson soldiers who had just sur- 
rendered to Lyon. By six o'clock that evening Lyon 
had reached the arsenal with his men and the captured 
troops.^ 

Naturally St. Louis was thrown into a great deal of 
excitement by the events of the day. The Missouri 

' On the next day all of Frost's men except one were released on 
subscribing to the following parole : 

"We, the undersigned, do pledge our words as gentlemen that 
we will not take up arms nor serve in any military capacity against 
the United States during the present Civil War. This parole to 
be returned upon our surrendering ourselves at any time as prisoners 
of war. While we make this pledge with the full intention of obey- 
ing it, we hereby protest against the justice of its exaction." Cap- 
tain Emmet McDonald at first declined to take the parole, and was 
kept at the arsenal for several days before he yielded. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



345 



Republican in its issue of the next day (May ii) gave a 
full account of what had happened the day before. 
Regarding the excitement that prevailed during the 
evening, it said : 

"It is almost impossible to describe the intense ex- 
hibition of feeling which was manifested last evening in 




Plot of Camp Jackson 

As it was at the time of its capture 
on May lo, 1861. From Rombauer's 
The Union Cause in St. Louis in 186 1. 



Plot of the Site of Camp 
Jackson 

As it is at present. See the map of 
St. Louis on page 349 for the location of 
Camp Jackson. 



I . On the 
Evening of 
May 10 



the city. All the most frequented streets and avenues 
were thronged with citizens in the highest state of excite- 
ment, and loud huzzas and occasional shots were heard 
in various localities. There was very little congregating 
on the street corners. Everybody was on the move and 



346 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

rapid pedestrianism was turned into account. Thousands 
upon thousands of restless human beings could be seen 
from almost any point on Fourth Street, all in search of 
the latest news. Imprecations, loud and long, were 
hurled into the darkening air, and unanimous resentment 
was expressed on all sides at the manner of firing into 
the harmless crowds near Camp Jackson. Hon. J. R. 
Barrett, Major Uriel Wright, and other speakers addressed 
a large and intensely excited crowd near the Planters 
House, and others were similarly engaged at various 
other points in the city. Amid the noise and confusion 
it was impossible to obtain the substance of the speeches 
delivered. 

"All the drinking saloons, restaurants, and other public 
resorts of similar character were closed by their pro- 
prietors almost simultaneously at dark ; and the windows 
of private dwellings were fastened in fear of a general riot. 
Theaters and other public places of amusements were 
entirely out of the question, and nobody went near them. 
Matters of graver import were occupying the minds of our 
citizens, and everything but the present excitement was 
banished from their thoughts. 

"Crowds of men rushed through the principal thorough- 
fares bearing banners and devices suited to their general 
fancies and by turns cheering or groaning. Some were 
armed and others were not armed, and all seemed anxious 
to be at work. A charge was made on a gun store of 
H. E. Dimick on Main Street, the door was broken open, 
and the crowd secured fifteen or twenty guns before a 
sufficient number of police could be collected to arrest the 
proceedings. Chief McDonough marched down with 
about twenty policemen armed with muskets, and suc- 
ceeded in dispersing the mob and protecting the premises 
from further molestation. Squads of armed policemen 
were stationed at several of the most public corners, and 
the offices of the Missouri Democrat and the Anzeiger des 
Westens were placed under guard for protection." 



THE CIVIL WAR 347 

As the evening wore on, quiet was restored and the 2. On the 
streets became cleared of people. Order prevailed during ^^^'""S °^ 
the next day until early in the evening, when another 
street skirmish occurred between a regiment of Home 
Guards, made up largely of Germans, and a band of 
Southern sympathizers. The Home Guards were attacked 
while on their way from the arsenal where they had been 
armed. Six men were killed in the fray, four of whom 
belonged to the Home Guards, and several innocent 
passersby were wounded. The incident served to stir 
anew the passions of the people and to deepen the gulf 
between the two factions. 

The climax was reached on Sunday, the second day 3- OnSun- 
after the capture of the camp. Terrible fear came upon ^^' ^^ '^ 
the people, especially the Southern sympathizers. Many 
felt that the Germans were going to overrun the city and 
put to death all the Southerners. Early that morning 
some of the prominent citizens of St. Louis went to 
General Harney, who had returned the day before, and 
implored him to protect the city against the attack which 
they thought the Germans were planning to make. 
General Harney assured them that there was no danger, 
but to quiet their fears he sent out detachments of soldiers 
from the arsenal to those parts of the city that were 
thought to be the most exposed to attack, and he had 
posted a proclamation declaring there was no ground for 
fear and appealing to the people to be calm. These acts 
of Harney, however, "had exactly the opposite effect 
from what he intended ; instead of quieting the people, 
they excited them still more ; instead of allaying, they 
intensified their alarm." 

By early afternoon a great host of people were fleeing, 
terror-stricken and in great haste, from the city. "Car- 
riages and wagons filled with trunks, valises, hastily 
made bundles, and frightened men, women, and children 
were flying along the streets toward every point of the 
compass. Some scared souls, unable to obtain a vehicle 



348 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Significance 
of Capture 
of Camp 
Jackson 



I . Passage of 
the Military 
Bill by the 
Legislature 



of any kind, were walking or running with breathless 
haste, carrying all sorts of bundles in their hands, under 
their arms, or on their shoulders. All these were fleeing 
from imaginary danger. But the fancied conflagration 
and slaughter which they believed themselves to be 
escaping were to them awful realities, enacted with 
all their attendant horrors over and over again within 
their minds." Some of the panic-stricken people fled 
into the country and found shelter in the villages and farm- 
houses. Many crossed the river in ferries and sought 
refuge in Illinois, notwithstanding the fact that it was a 
strong Union state. Others took passage in steamboats 
and went either up or down the river. Those who did 
not flee from the city barricaded themselves in their 
homes and awaited the coming of the enemy with guns 
loaded. The dreaded calamity, however, did not come, 
and in a day or two the refugees began to come back to 
their homes and places of business. 

The capture of Camp Jackson is one of the most sig- 
nificant events in the history of the Civil War. It was 
"the first really aggressive blow at secession that was 
struck anywhere within the United States." Viewed in 
the light of subsequent events in Missouri, it must be 
considered, however, as a stupendous blunder. This is 
seen first of all in the action taken by the legislature when 
the news reached Jefferson City that the camp had been 
taken. The legislature had been wrestling \vith the 
military bill ever since it had been reconvened on May 2 . 
This bill put all able-bodied men in the State in the 
militia and compelled them to obey implicitly the orders 
of their superiors, all of whom were to be appointed by the 
governor ; it also defined the crime of treason against the 
State, extending it to words spoken in derogation of the 
governor or the legislature. Very Httle progress had 
been made with this bill, owing to the vigorous opposition 
offered by the small band of Union men in the legislature, 
but the opposition was swept aside when the news came 



THE CIVIL WAR 



349 



in the evening that Camp Jackson had been captured. 
The wild scene that followed the reception of the news 




Sketch Map of Sr. Louis 

Showing the location of the original village in 1780; the Federal Arsenal, 
Camp Jackson, the city limits during the Civil War, and the city limits 
at present. Only a few of the leading streets of the city of to-day are shown. 

is said to have been indescribable. Within fifteen min- 
utes, after some sort of order had been established, the 
military bill was passed by both houses and was in the 



350 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Conver- 
sion of 
Conditional 
Unionists 
into Seces- 
sionists 



Price- 
Harney 
Agreement 



hands of the governor for his approval. Later in the 
evening, it was rumored that the Federal troops had left 
St. Louis for Jefferson City to capture the governor, the 
staff officers, and the legislature. The legislature was 
again called together by the ringing of bells and the 
shouting of men, and remained in secret session until 
three o'clock in the morning. Although there was noth- 
ing in the rumor, the legislature took no chances and 
adopted drastic measures to ward off the attack. 

Within the next five days the legislature passed other 
laws authorizing the expenditure of more than two million 
dollars for the purpose of repelling invasion. Doubtless 
it would also have passed a secession ordinance had it not 
been that the question of the relation of Missouri to the 
Union had already been referred to a specially elected 
convention. 

The capture of Camp Jackson not only precipitated 
action on the part of the legislature, but it drove many 
men into the ranks of the secessionists who had heretofore 
been upholding conditionally the cause of the Union. 
Undoubtedly, this was the most serious consequence that 
followed the event. Among those who went over to 
Governor Jackson and the secessionists was Sterling 
Price, who was at once appointed to the position of com- 
mander-in-chief of the militia that had just been provided 
for by the legislature.^ Because of the popularity of the 
man, this action of his had a far-reaching influence upon 
a great many people who, uncertain as to what they should 
do, now joined the secessionists just because Price had 
done so. 

Meanwhile General Harney, who, as we have seen, had 
returned to St. Louis and assumed his command of the 
department, approved of the capture of Camp Jackson 
and issued a proclamation in which he declared that all 

^ The State was divided into eight miUtary districts and over 
each of these districts the governor appointed a brigadier general 
to organize and drill the militia. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



351 



the power of the United States would be exerted, if 

necessary, to keep Missouri in the Union. But he stated 

that he had no desire to engage in open warfare unless 

forced into it. He therefore sought to hit upon some 

plan that would save the State from plunging into war. 

He notified General Price to meet him in St. Louis, and i. Terms of 

the two came to some sort of understanding which was ^^'^ Agree- 

° ment 

published over their names and which has generally been 
known as "The Price-Harney Agreement." In this 
agreement Price undertook 
to direct the whole power of 
the State officers to main- 
tain order in the State, and 
Harney declared that if order 
were maintained he would 
make no military movement 
which would be likely to 
create excitement and 
jealousy. 

In accordance with this 
agreement, Price dismissed 
the troops at Jefferson City. 
There was, however, great 
dissatisfaction among the 
Unionists of the State 

because of the agreement. It was particularly offensive 
to Lyon and Blair and to the St. Louis Public Safety 
Committee. A circular letter was therefore sent out by 
the committee into all parts of the State asking that all 
offensive treatment of loyal Unionists by the secessionists 
be reported to it in detail. 

In response to this letter, complaints began to come in 2. Removal 
from all parts of the State alleging that loyal citizens were °^ Hamey 
being outraged and even driven from their homes. These 
complaints were forwarded to President Lincoln for the 
purpose of influencing him to issue an order removing 
Harney and putting Lyon in his place. That purpose was 




General W. % Harney 

From Stevens' Missouri, the Center 
State, by permission of the Missouri 
Historical Society. 



352 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Interview 
between 
Lyon and 
Jackson in 
St. Louis 



I. The Issue 



achieved. The order removing Harney and placing 
Lyon in his stead was sent to Blair, together with private 
instruction from Lincoln to withhold it until such time 
as, in his judgment, the necessity for such action was 
deemed urgent. On May 30, Blair decided that the 
emergency had come and he therefore produced the order 
which installed Lyon in Harney's place. Lyon was 
thereupon in full command not only of St. Louis, but also 
of Missouri, and indeed of all the territory between the 
Mississippi and the Rockies, except Texas, New Mexico, 
and Utah. 

Although the elevation of Lyon to this prominent 
position meant a- new order of things, Governor Jackson 
and General Price hoped that they might control the 
situation and they sought an interview with Lyon. 
This was granted them under a special safe conduct, 
guaranteeing that they should be free from molestation 
or arrest during the journey to and from St. Louis. 

The interview occurred on June 12 at the Planters 
House in St. Louis, and lasted four or five hours. At 
the outset, Lyon announced that the discussion on the 
part of "his Government" would be conducted by Blair, 
but inside half an hour Lyon had pushed Blair aside and 
was conducting the discussion himself. The issue was 
soon clearly drawn : Jackson declared that he wanted to 
keep Missouri neutral ; to that end he promised, among 
other things, to disband the State Guard, to prevent 
arms and munitions of war being brought into the State, 
to repress the insurrection movements within the State, 
to repel all attempts to invade the State, provided the 
Federal Government would disarm the Home Guards 
which had been organized throughout the State, and wovdd 
pledge itself not to occupy with its troops any place in 
the State not occupied by them at the time. 

This proposition was rejected by Lyon and Blair, and 
they not only demanded "the disorganization and dis- 
arming of the State militia and an annulment of the 



THE CIVIL WAR 353 

military bill, but they refused to disarm their own Home 
Guards, and insisted that the Federal Government should 
enjoy an unrestricted right to move and station its 
troops throughout the State whenever and wherever it 
might be decided, in the opinion of its ofificers, either for 
the protection of the loyal subjects of the Federal Gov- 
ernment or for repelling invasions." 

Failing to come to any agreement, Jackson made a 2. Failure to 
last attempt to have both sides agree not to recruit R^achany 

. . . . . Agreement 

troops in Missouri. When this proposition was made, 
Lyon replied: "Rather than concede to the State of 
Missouri the right to demand that my Government shall 
not enlist troops within her limits, or bring troops at its 
own will into, out of, or through the State ; rather than 
concede to the State of Missouri for one single instant 
the right to dictate to my Government in any matter, 
however unimportant, I would (rising as he said this, 
and pointing to every man in the room) see you, and you, 
and you, and every man and woman and child in the 
State dead and buried." 

Then, turning to the governor, he said: "This means 
war. In an hour one of my officers will call for you and 
conduct you out of my lines." Then, without another 
word, without an inclination of the head, without even a 
look, he turned upon his heel and strode out of the room, 
rattling his spurs and clanking his saber as he went. 

This action closed the door upon all prospects of peace. 3- Return of 
Thereafter there was nothing left for Missouri but war. ^^p'rpnjt^i 
Jackson and Price immediately hurried to the depot of 
the Pacific Railroad and, impressing into their service a 
railway train, rushed back to Jefferson City as fast as 
they could, arriving there at two o'clock the next 
morning. They stopped long enough on their way, how- 
ever, to bum the bridges behind them over the Gasconade 
and the Osage rivers and to cut the telegraph wires. 

Immediately upon reaching the capital, Jackson issued 
a proclamation to the people of Missouri in which, after 



the Capital 



354 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

Mobilization announcing the results of the interview with Lyon and 
of Troops declaring that the Federal Government intended to take 
military possession of the State, he called for 50,000 of 
the State militia to assemble to repel the impending 
Federal invasion. At the same time Lyon was moving 
out of St. Louis to Jefferson City by way of the river 
and was sending an expedition by land to southeast 
Missouri. The outcome of these military movements 
and the events that followed immediately thereafter 
will be dealt with in the succeeding chapter. 

REFERENCES 

Anderson, A Border City in the Civil War, pp. 63-119. McElroy, 
Struggle for Missouri, pp. 50-117. Carr, Missouri, pp. 291-313. 
Rombauer, The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861, chs. vii-viii. 
Webb, Biographies and Battles of Missourians, chs. iv-v. This book 
presents the Southern side of the struggle in Missouri during the 
Civil War. The father of the author was a Confederate soldier 
and his mother was sent into exile with her young family under 
"Order Number Eleven." The book, however, is free from much 
of the bitterness that is to be found in many of the books written 
just after the war by those who participated in that strife. 



CHAPTER XVII 

THE CIVIL WAR — THE SECOND STRUGGLE FOR 
MISSOURI 

[Historical Setting. — The Battle of Bull Run (July 21, 1861) 
and the Battle of Pea Ridge (March 6-8, 1862).] 

We saw in the preceding chapter that the first thing Jackson's 
Governor Jackson did on arriving at Jefferson City was ydun^eers 
to call for 50,000 of the State militia to assemble to repel 
the impending Federal invasion. He also exhorted "all 
good citizens of Missouri to rally under the flag of their 
State for the protection of their endangered houses and 
firesides, and for the defense of their most sacred rights 
and dearest liberties." According to the census of 
i860, there were at least 236,000 men in Missouri capable 
of bearing arms, and Governor Jackson doubtless hoped 
that his appeal would bring to the defense of the State a 
great many more than the 50,000 he called for. 

But Governor Jackson did not tarry at the capital Movement 
to await the response to his call. Lyon was hot on his ^g Missouri 
trail with a considerable force, and he therefore decided 
to abandon Jefferson City and go to Boonville. In 
company with General Price and other State officers, he 
went up the river in a steamboat to Boonville the day 
after issuing his proclamation.^ 

Two days after Jackson left JefTerson City, Lyon arrived i. Occupa- 
there with a body of regulars and volunteers, having j°gg°on 
come up the river in steamboats. He was enthusiastically City 
received by those who were opposed to secession, of whom 
a large proportion were Germans, and he immediately 
took possession of the town and the capitol. 

1 Governor Jackson was destined never to see Jefferson City 
again. He died near Little Rock on December 6, 1862. 

355 



356 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

2. Advance When Lyoii heard that Jackson had gone to Boonville, 
ville°*^'^" ^^ decided to follow and to drive the State forces from 

that point if possible. Lyon recognized the strategic im- 
portance of Boonville. If it were held by Jackson, the 
State forces under his direction could be stationed on the 
bluffs overlooking the river and they might prevent any 
Federal expedition from ascending the river beyond that 
point . Lyon was determined that every place of importance 
along the Missouri River below Kansas City should be 
controlled by the Federal Government and that an effective 
patrol should be established over the river. If that were 
done, then the northern part of the State would be cut 
off completely from the southern part, which was a 
matter greatly to be desired by the Unionists. On the 
other hand, Jackson and Price saw the necessity of 
keeping at least a portion of the Missouri River open. 
They realized how vital it was to their cause to maintain 
communication between the northern and the southern 
portions of the State. For these reasons both sides 
attempted to get control of the Missouri at the outset of 
the war, and for the same reasons the South made desper- 
ate efforts from time to time during the war to dislodge 
the North from the control which it had managed to gain 
very early in the conflict. 

3. Battle of Before leaving Jefferson City, Jackson had ordered the 
Boonville brigadier generals of the eight districts of Missouri to 

concentrate as many of their forces as possible at Boon- 
ville and Lexington, and in response to that order nearly 
1500 had gathered at Boonville under General John B. 
Clark by the time Jackson reached the place. Most of 
them, however, were poorly armed and many were with- 
out arms at all ; practically all were totally untrained 
for active warfare. Moreover, Price was taken very ill 
after leaving Jefferson City and had to retire temporarily 
to his home in Chariton County. 

On hearing that Lyon was approaching Boonville, 
Jackson ordered the State troops to advance under 



THE CIVIL WAR 357 

Colonel Marmaduke to a point six miles down the river 
from Boonville and there to offer battle. They very 
pluckily resisted Lyon for a while ; but the superiority 
of the latter 's troops soon began to tell, and in the course 
of a few hours all of Jackson's forces were completely 
routed and driven not only from the field of battle, but 
also through the town and far beyond it. This engage- 
ment occurred on June 18. 

On the day after reaching Boonville, Lyon issued a 4- Lyon's 
proclamation to the people of Missouri in which, after [Jo°*^to"|h"e 
reviewing the events leading up to the battle just fought, People of 
he declared that he would "scrupulously avoid all inter- '^^oun 
ference with the business, rights, and property of every 
description recognized by the laws of the State and 
belonging to law-abiding citizens ' ' ; but he asserted 
that it was equally his duty "to maintain the paramount 
authority of the United States" with such force as he 
had at his command. 

Although the battle of Boonville was only a slight s- Signifi- 
military skirmish, ^ it was very significant in its results. BTttL^of*^ ^ 
In the first place, it put a check for the time being upon the Boonville 
volunteer enlistments in Price's anny. Southern sym- 
pathizers had confidently hoped that Lyon would be 
stopped at Boonville, and when he was not, much of their 
ardor subsided, temporarily at least. In the second place, 
it gave the Federalists possession of the highly strategic 
point on the river at Boonville, and the gaining of this 
point opened the way for an effective attack upon Price, 
who had sufficiently recovered to assume command at 
Lexington. As a matter of fact, three different forces 
were moving toward Lexington at that time, one from 
Boonville, another from Fort Leavenworth, and another 
from Iowa. 2 In a short time, therefore, after the defeat 
at Boonville, the State Guard was compelled to fall back 

' The number killed on both sides seems to have been only four. 
2 The forces that were making their way from Fort Leavenworth 
and Iowa had been sent for by Lyon. 



358 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Concentra- 
tion of the 
State 
Guards in 
the 
Southwest 



I . Advance 
of Federal 
Troops 
toward 
Springfield 



2. Battle of 
Carthage 



from the Missouri to the Osage River. This river enters 
Missouri from Kansas about sixty miles south of Kansas 
City and flows in an easterly and northeasterly direction 
until it empties into the Missouri a few miles below Jeffer- 
son City. The Osage thus forms a natural line of defense 
for that part of the State through which it flows. Rec- 
ognizing this fact, Price had advised Jackson to order the 
State troops to take up their position behind the Osage, 
and in this way he hoped to gain time for their adequate 
organization. 

But the Federals did not allow the State troops to 
remain along the line of the Osage. Lyon had foreseen 
from the first what would probably happen, and he had 
sent a force from St. Louis through Rolla toward Spring- 
field at the time he left for Jefferson City. Anticipating a 
retreat on the part of the State troops to the southwestern 
part of the State, he had sent this force toward Spring- 
field for the purpose of making the line of the Osage un- 
tenable for them. Moreover, he wished to be in a position 
to thwart any move that might be made by the Confed- 
erate forces in Arkansas to invade Missouri and render 
assistance to Governor Jackson in his effort to take 
Missouri out of the Union. 

Matters developed, for a time at least, as Lyon had 
expected. The presence of the Federal troops near 
Springfield made it hazardous for the State troops to try 
to hold the Osage. Moreover, the advance of other 
Federal forces southward from Boonville and Lexington, 
after these places had been abandoned by the State 
troops, compelled these troops to go still farther into the 
southwestern part of the State. This retreating force 
was under the personal command of Governor Jackson, 
General Price having been sent ahead into Arkansas to 
solicit the aid of McCulloch, who was in command of 
certain Confederate forces in that State. 

By July 4, Governor Jackson was nearing Carthage with 
a body of slightly more than 4000 men, many of whom 



THE CIVIL WAR 359 

had joined him as he was passing southward. On the 
next day he was intercepted by a Federal force of looo 
men under Colonel Sigel, who had been sent out from 
Springfield to hold him in check until Lyon could come 
up from Boonville and complete his destruction. Sigel, 
however, failed to do what had been expected of him and 
was compelled to retreat rather precipitately back toward 
Springfield. Jackson then entered Carthage the next 
day, and here he learned from Price, who had returned 
from Arkansas, that after much persuasion McCulloch 
had consented to come to their assistance. For some time 
McCulloch had declined to respond to the solicitations 
of Price because Missouri had not yet seceded, and 
his orders forbade him from entering Federal territory. 
But he was finally induced to disregard those orders and 
to come with a force to aid Jackson against Lyon. 

As things turned out, there seemed to be no immediate 3. Price's 
need of McCulloch's assistance after Sigel's retreat from Encampment 

° _ at Lowskin 

Carthage. Lyon had not been able to reach Spring- Prairie 
field on account of the high water in the Osage and the 
other streams which he had to cross in moving south 
from the Missouri River. McCulloch therefore returned 
to northwestern Arkansas for the time being, and Price 
brought together all the State Guards that had retreated 
southward and encamped them at Cowskin Prairie in the 
extreme southwestern part of the State. Here he under- 
took to get this force into some sort of organized shape. 
This was a task of no ordinary proportions. There was a 
good supply of powder and also of lead, but there were no 
molds for making bullets or shot. Molds had therefore 
to be improvised, and only after considerable difficulty 
was a sufficient supply of bullets and shot secured. But 
there was a lack of arms and of uniforms, and there was 
no money with which to buy these things. Moreover, 
food supplies were not very plentiful, — in fact the men 
often went hungry. But notwithstanding these handi- 
caps, Price was able to get things whipped into shape suffi- 



360 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Lyon's 
Campaign 
around 
Springfield 



1. Request 
for Reen- 
forcements 



ciently to enable the State Guards to give a good account 
of themselves when they were next brought into action. 

It will be seen from what has been said that, up to the 
time of Sigel's retreat from Carthage to Springfield, 
every move that had been made by the Federals in 
Missouri had been successful. The governor had been 
forced out of the State capital and the State Guards had 
been driven from the Missouri River into the south- 
western part of the State. But with Sigel's retreat, this 
series of Federal victories and advantages was brought to 
a halt, for a time at least, and during the next few months, 
as we shall see, it looked as though the Federals would 
lose much of what they had gained in Missouri. 

Lyon did not reach Springfield until July 13, having 
been delayed, first, in getting away from Boonville, on 
account of the lack of adequate transportation facilities, 
and second, after leaving Boonville, by the high water he 
encountered on his way. On arriving at Springfield he 
found that the entire force under his command numbered 
less than 6000 men. Moreover, of this number nearly 
3000 had enlisted for only ninety days, and as their time 
would expire by the middle of August it was necessary to 
move quickly if their services were to be made use of. 
In addition, the supplies were insufficient, and there was 
a great deal of dissatisfaction among the troops. 

Lyon saw at once that reenforcements were needed 
immediately, and he telegraphed to St. Louis to that 
effect. But his urgent requests were not honored. 
There were several reasons for this. There had been 
a change in the command of the Department of 
Missouri. It seems that Lyon was not trusted at Wash- 
ington, and the command had been taken from him and 
conferred first upon McClellan and then upon Fremont. 
Fremont was Benton's son-in-law and had been the first 
Presidential candidate of the Republican party in 
1856. Lyon and Blair had been much displeased with 
McClellan's appointment, but they had welcomed the 



THE CIVIL WAR 36 1 

appointment of Fremont. In their expectations of Fre- 
mont, however, they were doomed to bitter disappoint- 
ment. Their distrust of him began with his almost 
inexcusable delay in reaching St. Louis. Though ap- 
pointed early in July, he did not make a move to get to 
his new post until late in the month. It was July 25 
before he reached St. Louis. 

By that time the whole country, North and South, 
was profoundly stirred by the battle of Bull Run, which 
occurred on July 2 1 . The North was downcast, the South 
jubilant. It looked for a time as though Washington 
would be taken, and the War Department was making 
every effort to prevent that from occurring. ' Forces 
that should have been sent to other fields were kept near 
Washington, and orders were going out calling to 
Washington troops from those fields. Moreover, when 
Fremont arrived at St. Louis he felt that his first obliga- 
tion was to keep enough troops at that place to insure 
holding it, and that his second duty was to take care 
that Cairo at the mouth of the Ohio should be properly 
protected. Notwithstanding the fact that he had 56,000 
troops stationed at thirteen different places in the State 
at the time, and many of them idle, he had no ear for 
Lyon's appeals. 

After having spent three weeks in drilling and organizing 2. Advance 
the State Guard at Cowskin Prairie, Price decided that 
they were ready for an engagement. He broke camp on 
July 25 and started for Cassville, a town situated about 
forty miles southwest from Springfield. He arrived at 
Cassville on the 28th with about 5000 troops, and, in 
accordance with prearranged plans, McCulloch arrived 
there the next day with about 3200 Confederate troops, 
and a little later Pearce came up with 2500 Arkansas 
State troops. There were, therefore, nearly 11,000 men 
headed toward Springfield where Lyon was quartered 
with a force of less than 6000 men. 

Hearing of this movement toward Springfield, Lyon 



of Price to 
Cassville 



362 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Lyon's 
Advance to 
and Retreat 
from 
Cassville 



4. Dif- 
ferences 
between 
Price and 
McCulloch 



decided to try his hand at forestalhng a united attack of 
all these forces upon him. He therefore moved out of 
Springfield toward Cassville on August i and sought for 
an opportunity to strike separately at the different forces 
that were coming. The next day he met the advance 
guard of the Missouri troops and easily put it to flight. 
On the following day he advanced still farther until he 
came within six miles of McCulloch's camp. Fearing, 
however, that his line of communication with Springfield 
might be cut ofiE if he remained here very long, he fell 
back upon that place, arriving there on the 5th. 

That Lyon was able to make these movements without 
being intercepted was doubtless due to the lack of har- 
mony in the camp of his opponents. Price wanted to give 
battle to Lyon at once, but McCulloch was reluctant. 
There were several reasons for McCulloch's reluctance. 
His orders, for one thing, did not permit him to make an 
unrestricted advance into the State. Moreover, he had 
"Httle confidence in the fighting qualities of the Missou- 
rians" and he "hesitated about risking a battle so long 
as the army was subject to a divided command." Price 
divined the cause for McCulloch's unwillingness to move 
against Lyon, and he thereupon proposed that all the 
troops be placed under McCulloch's command, reserving, 
however, the right to resume the command of the Missouri 
State troops whenever he saw fit. To this proposition 
McCulloch assented, and then announced that he was 
ready to move against Lyon. By that time, however, 
Lyon had begun his retreat to Springfield and could not 
be overtaken before reaching that place. But McCulloch 
moved on until he came to Wilson's Creek about ten 
miles southwest of Springfield. On the morning of 
August 6 the entire force under his command was in 
camp along the banks of that stream. 

It was several days before any further advance was 
made. In spite of Price's urging, McCulloch was un- 
wilHng to make "a blind attack," as he called it, upon 



THE CR'IL WAR 



3^3 



Springfield. Several stormy scenes occurred between 
Price and McCulloch. Finally McCulloch agreed on 
August 9 to make an attack, but not until Price had 
threatened to take the Missouri troops and give battle 
mth them alone. 

But the offensive in the battle of Wilson's Creek was 
taken not by McCulloch but by Lyon.- The latter found 
himself in great straits. 
To the southwest of him 
was a force about twice 
as large as his and ready 
for the fray. No reen- 
forcements had reached 
him as yet, although 
they had been started. 
He did not want to re- 
treat, because of the bad 
effect such a move would 
have on his cause, so he 
decided to take the risk 
of giving battle. Divid- 
ing his forces into two 
parts, he planned to at- 
tack the two ends of the 
enemy's line at the same 
time. He sent Sigel 
with 1 200 men, late on 
the afternoon of the 9th, 
to turn the right flank 
of the enemy and attack 
them from the rear, while he himself set out with 4200 men 
to make an attack on the front. These movements were 
effected by midnight, so that on the morning of the loth 
Price and McCulloch lay between Lyon and Sigel and 
were seemingly unaware of that fact until the attack was 
begun almost simultaneously at both ends of the line at 
about five o'clock that morning. McCulloch under- 




Battle of Wilson's Creek 
August 10, 1861 

Adapted from map in McElroy's Struggle 
for Missouri. 



5. Battle of 
Wilson's 
Creek, Aug. 



3^4 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



took to meet the attack made by Sigel, while Price 
opposed Lyon. By nine o'clock Sigel was retreating upon 
Springfield, having been completely routed. McCulloch 
then turned to assist Price against Lyon, and for three 
hours more the contesting forces grappled with each other 
in deadly conflict. At the critical moment Lyon was 

killed. By noon the 
Federals were in full re- 
treat upon Springfield 
under the command of 
Sturgis, who had suc- 
ceeded Lyon.i 

Space will not permit 
a full description of this 
battle, which many con- 
sider the most famous of 
all the military engage- 
ments in Missouri dur- 
ing the Civil War. It 
was noteworthy because 
of the desperate bravery 
that was manifested on 
both sides and because 
of the fearful losses that both sides sustained. Of the 5400 
Federal troops engaged in this battle, 1302 were killed, 
wounded, or missing, and of the nearly 1 1 ,000 State Guards 
and Confederates, 1242 were killed, wounded, or missing.^ 

> The night before the battle Lyon wrote a letter to Fremont 
announcing his plans for the next day. In that letter there was "not 
one word about the desperate battle he was to fight on the morrow, 
not one fault-finding utterance, not one breath of complaint. But, 
true to his conviction, true to his flag, true to the Union men of 
Missouri who confided in and followed him, true to himself and true 
to his duty, he went out to battle against a force twice as great as 
his own with a calmness that was as pathetic as his courage was 
sublime." This encomium is not from one of Lyon's followers but 
from Colonel Snead, Price's chief of staff. 

^ The total casualties on both sides were 2544, or nearly 16 per cent 
of all those engaged. 




General Franz Sigel 



THE CIVIL WAR 365 

The greatest loss on the Federal side was General Lyon 
himself. 

Every military advantage lay with Price and McCulloch 6. Inability 
after the battle, and had they only followed the retreating poi^o^^y'^^ 
Federals relentlessly, they would probably have captured his victory 
every one of them before they coidd have reached Rolla, 
the southern terminus of the railroad running into St. 
Louis. But McCulloch declined to join Price in the 
pursuit, giving the same reasons that he had given before. 
He therefore withdrew into Arkansas and left Price to 
grapple with the situation in Missouri alone. That Price 
failed ultimately in this task was due in part, no doubt, to 
the fact that he was not able to follow up the military 
advantage that was his after the battle of Wilson's Creek. 

Notwithstanding Price's inability to follow up his 
victories, the effect of Wilson's Creek upon the parties 
contending for the control of the State was unmistakable. 
Coming so soon after Bull Run, it was thought of as 
another bit Of Southern good fortune, and this had the 
effect of adding to the depression of the Northerners and 
increasing the exhilaration of the Southerners. 

Taking advantage of the large numbers of men that Price's 
flocked to his standard after the battle of Wilson's Creek, ^^if^"" 
Price decided to turn northward and attempt to break the Lexington 
patrol of the Missouri River which the Federals had 
established after Jackson had been driven from Jefferson 
City and Boonville. He therefore started from Spring- 
field on August 25 toward Lexington. On his way he 
turned aside long enough to drive out of the State i- Battle of 
some Kansas troops under "Jim" Lane, pursuing them as sept"i8-'2o, 
far as Fort Scott, Kansas. Resuming his march upon 1861 
Lexington, he reached that place with his advance guard 
on September 13. Here he found a force of about 3000 
men under Colonel Mulligan, who had been ordered to 
stay until relieved. In the face of an opposing army 
that grew to be many times larger than his (Price is said 
to have had between 14,000 and 20,000 men in all at 



366 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 




Lexington), Mulligan declined to make his escape to the 
other side of the river on the steamboat at his command, 
and instead withdrew his forces to Masonic College Hill, 
which overlooked the river. Here he entrenched his men 
and sent an urgent request to Fremont at St. Louis for 
reenforcements. Had Fremont sent them at once they 



THE CIVIL WAR 367 

would have reached Lexington in ample time, as Price 
rested his men for five or six days before beginning the 
attack. 

On the 1 8th Price seized the steamboat and then cut 
Mulligan off from the river, thus leaving him without any 
water supply whatsoever. The reenforcements that came 
the next day to help Mulligan were unable to be of any 
assistance, and therefore landed on the other side of the 
river. After an almost continuous bombardment for 
two days. Price made a general assault, his men rolling 
before them large bales of hemp thoroughly dampened to 
resist hot shot, and under the cover of these they were 
able to advance right up to Mulligan's works. By 
that time the besieged men were dying with excessive 
thirst under a broiling hot sun, and to avoid useless blood- 
shed Mulligan surrendered on September 2 1 . The losses 
on both sides were very small, only 40 killed and 120 
wounded on the Federal side, and only 20 killed and 75 
wounded on the Confederate side. These small losses 
were due to the effective entrenchments of Mulhgan and 
the movable breastworks of Price. 

As soon as the Federal patrol of the Missouri River 2. Return of 
was broken at Lexington, a great many Southern sjmi- ^"'^^ "^^ ^^e 
pathizers in the northern part of the State flocked across 
to join Price. Unfortunately for the Southern cause, 
however, Price was not able to maintain himself at 
Lexington, and so on September 30 he set out again for 
southwest Missouri, thus leaving the Federals once more 
in control of the Missouri River. 

Two reasons may be assigned for Price's return to the 
southwestern part of the State. First, Fremont had 
become alarmed lest Price should attempt to move down 
the river to Jefferson City and try to recover that place. 
He had therefore sent an army of about 20,000 toward 
Springfield and had gone in person with his bodyguard 
to Jefferson City to see what could be done in the way of 
warding off any possible attack upon it by Price. Mere 



368 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

military precaution would therefore cause Price to fall 
back to southwest Missouri, where he could at least be in 
easy communication with McCuUoch. Second, Governor 
Jackson had called the legislature to meet in extra session 
at Neosho on October 21, and Price doubtless felt that 
that body needed protection against Federal interference. 
At any rate. Price left Lexington on September 30, 
and in the course of a few days he was once more in the 
southwestern part of the State. ^ 
3. Plans of By the latter part of October Fremont had assembled 
Fremont in g^^ Springfield an army of 40,000 men with which he hoped 
Southwest to accomplish great wonders. First, he planned to 
captuf e or disperse the forces of Price ; then to move 
against Little Rock and Memphis and ultimately New 
Orleans. He had the assurance to believe he could 
easily accomplish all these things ; but before he could 
begin to put into execution the first of them, he was 
removed from command. The way in which he had 
allowed Lyon to be defeated at Wilson's Creek and 
Mulligan at Lexington proved to be too much for the- 
authorities at Washington, and he was removed. This 
occurred on November 2. General Hunter, who was 
installed in his place, ordered the Federal forces to fall 
back to Rolla and Sedalia, greatly to the relief of Price 
and his men. For the next three months Price's army 
"lived at their ease" in and around Springfield with no 
one to disturb them. 

Meanwhile two very important political events had 
taken place. The first of these was the reconvening of 
the State convention which, as we have seen, had ad- 
journed on March 2 2 subject to the call of its executive 

* Price left a guard of 500 men at Lexington in charge of Mulligan's 
oflficers, who had been taken as prisoners on the capture of that place. 
On October 16 this guard was surprised by an attack made by a 
company of Prairie Scouts and was badly scattered. After liberating 
the prisoners the Scouts marched to join Fremont, who was moving 
to the southwestern part of the State. 



THE CIVIL WAR 369 

committee. Acting under the authority thus conferred Estabiish- 
upon it, this committee called the convention to assemble p^^\ . * . 
at Jefferson City on July 22. In another chapter special Government 
attention will be given to the things done at this session convention 
of the convention ; all that needs to be noted here is that 
on July 30 it declared all the State offices vacant, and 
elected Hamilton R. Gamble as governor, and Willard 
P. Hall, lieutenant governor. It also declared the 
seats of all the members of the legislature vacant and 
set a time for the election of their successors. By this 
action of the convention a provisional government was 
set up in Missouri with headquarters at St. Louis in 
place of the one that had been elected by the people in 
i860. Although Governor Jackson and Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor Reynolds tried to maintain their authority, they 
were powerless to enforce their orders. Real authority 
had passed to the convention and the officers created 
by it. 

The second of these important political events was the Declaration 
special session of the legislature held at the call of ^ Secession 
Governor Jackson at Neosho on October 21. Only a Legislature 
portion of the members attended. Perhaps there was 
not a quorum of either house in attendance. Not- 
withstanding that fact, those who assembled proceeded 
to pass an act declaring that Missouri had seceded from 
the Union. It also elected two senators and eight 
representatives to represent Missouri in the Confederate 
Congress. In taking this action the legislature was 
guilty of a double illegality. In the first place, no quorum 
was present, and in the second place, the matter of the 
relation of Missouri to the Federal Union had been con- 
signed to the convention. 

In defense of the legislature's action it was said that 
conditions had changed since the convention had been 
elected in February and that sentiment in favor of 
secession had been gaining in the State. Hence the 
legislature was justified in the minds of a great many 



37° 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Pea Ridge 
Campaign 



I. Price's 
Appeal for 
Reenforce- 
ments 



people in declaring that the State had withdrawn from 
the Union. At any rate, the Confederate Congress 
recognized what had been done by the legislature of 
Missouri, and the State was formally admitted into the 
Southern Confederacy on November 28, 1861. There- 
after Missouri was regularly represented in the Confederate 
Congress. 

But the action of the legislature in declaring the se- 
cession of Missouri from the Union was futile so long as 
there was a strong military force in the State to render 
that declaration ineffective. It was therefore necessary 
that something be done to clear the State of that force. 
On the other hand, the Federal authorities felt that every 
effort should be put forth to prevent any recovery of 
military advantage on the part of those who had been 
plotting to take Missouri out of the Union, and especially 
to put an end to the efforts of the Confederacy to bring 
military assistance into the State. These opposing 
policies make clear the military movements of the next 
few months that culminated in the battle of Pea Ridge, 
Arkansas, on March 6-8, 1862. 

We saw a moment ago that Price had established him- 
self at Springfield early in November, 1861, after the 
withdrawal of the Federal troops to Rolla and Sedalia, 
and had apparently thought to settle down there for the 
winter. But Price realized that a great crisis was impend- 
ing and he sought to get ready for it by making a special 
appeal for help. He prepared an appeal or proclamation 
that was published as an extra issue of the Missouri Army 
Argus, a paper which was occasionally published by the 
officers of his command on a press that accompanied his 
army. This appeal was addressed to the "people of 
central and northern Missouri," asking for the immediate 
enlistment of 50,000 men. He reminded them how , 
Governor Jackson had called in June for that many men 
"to drive the ruthless invader" from Missouri, and how 
only 5000 men had responded. In language that was 



THE CIVIL WAR 37 1 

impassioned and rather melodramatic in style, he urged 
the people of Missouri to rally to the cause of the South, 
and pleaded for 50,000 immediate recruits. He virtually 
promised that every citizen who should lose anything by 
"adhesion to the cause of his country" would be in- 
demnified out of "the $200,000,000 worth of Northern 
means in Missouri which cannot be removed." 

In response to this call many men enlisted, although 
the number did not amount to 50,000 by any means. 
Special efforts were made by the Federal authorities in 
Missouri to prevent recruits going to Price from northern 
and central Missouri, but nevertheless many got past 
the patrol and reported to him at Springfield. 

The crisis came upon Price much sooner than he con- 2. Price's 
templated. He scarcely expected any movement on ^^5*^'^'' "^'^*' 
the part of the Federals until spring, and was therefore 
greatly surprised when General Curtis began to move 
upon Springfield about the middle of February, during 
very inclement weather. There was nothing else for Price 
to do but to retreat before this approaching army. He 
therefore fell back to Cassville and from thence into 
northwestern Arkansas. Here he was once more joined 
by McCulloch and later by Van Dom, who assumed com- 
mand of the combined forces. With this army of about 
25,000, of whom 5000 were Indians, Van Dorn turned to 3. Battle of 
give battle to Curtis with his 10,500, who had taken up a m^^'I-s 
strong position on what was known as Pea Ridge. For 1862 
three days, March 6-8, the battle was waged with ever- 
changing fortune. Finally the Confederates were forced 
to retreat, leaving the field to the victorious Federals. 
The loss of the latter was 13 51 killed, wounded, and 
missing. The loss of the Confederates is not known, but 
it was probably much greater than that of the Federals. 
Among the killed on the Confederate side was General 
McCulloch. 

In its significance this battle outranks all the others 
that had yet taken place in the history of Missouri. The 



372 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



4. Signifi- 
cance of Pea 
Ridge 



(a) On the 
Situation in 
Missouri 



(6) In Other 
Fields 



defeat of the Confederates at Pea Ridge meant that the 
act of secession passed by the rump legislature at Neosho 
the preceding October would never be enforced. We 
have seen how the people of Missouri had decided through 
a convention held in February, 1861, that there was no 
cause then for Missouri severing her relations with the 
Federal Union. We have seen how in spite of that 
action Governor Jackson had plotted to take Missouri 
out of the Union anyway. We have seen how in the 
contest of arms in Missouri the advantage lay first with 
the Federals and then with the Confederates. Up to 
the time of the battle of Pea Ridge there was no certainty 
as to whether the Federals or the Confederates would 
hold Missouri. But after that battle uncertainty in this 
matter was at an end. The Confederates themselves 
abandoned hope and for two years made no effort to send 
troops into Missouri to take her out of the Union. Price, 
himself, with 5000 of his Missourians, was transferred to 
the east side of the Mississippi for service, and he did not 
return to Missouri to renew the struggle for the State 
until 1864. Not that peace reigned in Missouri during 
that time. As we shall see in the next chapter, this 
period of two years was one of great distress and bitter 
strife in Missouri. But during this time there was no 
concerted effort, on a large scale at least, to take Missouri 
out of the Union. 

The second struggle for Missouri was closed by the 
battle of Pea Ridge, and, like the first struggle, it was won 
by the Federalists. Thereafter "Missouri was as firmly 
anchored to the Union as her neighbors, Illinois, Iowa, 
and Kansas." The battle for Missouri had been fought 
and won. 

The securing of Missouri to the cause of the Union 
had a verj^ important bearing upon the progress of the 
war in other fields, especially in Kentucky. Like Missouri, 
Kentucky was torn by divided opinions on the question 
of secession. She attempted at first to take a neutral 



THE CIVIL WAR 373 

position, but she was forced from that attitude by the 
Confederate invasion of the State in September, 1861. 
This called for military action on the part of the Federals, 
but with Missouri yet uncertain they were cautious about 
concentrating too much attention upon Kentucky. 
They saw it would not do to leave Illinois exposed to 
attacks from Missouri. But with Missouri safely dis- 
posed of, as she was by the battle of Pea Ridge, their 
effort to drive the Confederates out of Kentucky could 
then be taken up with full vigor. The successful out- 
come of this campaign, however, is not a part of our 
story here. 

In this connection attention should be called to the Battle of 
battle of Belmont in southeastern Missouri on November ^ ™°'^* 
7, 1 86 1. This battle was primarily a part of the cam- 
paign to prevent Kentucky from being taken out of the 
Union, but there was a secondary purpose in this en- 
gagement, namely, to prevent any Confederate troops 
from entering Missouri from that direction. At that 
time Price had moved from Lexington to Springfield 
and was watching the movements of the Federals that 
Fremont had brought down into that part of the State. 
It would have contributed greatly to Price's cause if a 
serious diversion could have been created in southeast- 
em Missouri just at that time. That it was not made 
was due to the engagement that Grant brought on at 
Belmont.' 

REFERENCES 

McElroy, Struggle for Missouri, pp. 118-342. Carr, Missouri, 
PP- 3i3'~34i- Webb, Biographies and Battles of Missourians, chs. 
vi-xi inclusive. McCausland, "The Battle of Lexington as Seen 
by a Woman," in the Missouri Historical Review for April, 191 2, pp. 
227-235. Snyder, "The Capture of Lexington," in the Missouri 
Historical Review for October, 1912, pp. 1-9. 

' For a brief account of this affair and its connection with the 
campaign in Kentucky, see Fiske's Civil War in the Mississippi 
Valley, pp. 39-51. 



CHAPTER XVIII 
THE CIVIL WAR — THE LAST STRUGGLE FOR MISSOURI 



I*rice Enters 
the Con 
federate 
Service 



I. Critical 
Situation 
in the 
South 



2. Depar- 
ture of 
Price and 
his Men 



[Historical Setting. — The Surrender of Lee at Appomattox.] 

It was noted in the preceding chapter that very shortly 
after the battle of Pea Ridge Price entered the Confederate 
service and was transferred with 5000 of the Missouri 
State Guards to the east of the Mississippi. Doubtless 
he and his men would not have taken this step had they 
not realized that Missouri had been lost to the Confeder- 
acy. The call to the service of the Confederacy came to 
them while at Van Buren, Arkansas, to which place they 
had retreated after the defeat at Pea Ridge. The situa- 
tion at that time was very critical for the South. Grant 
was pushing down toward Shiloh, having taken Fort 
Henry and Fort Donelson in Tennessee on February 6 and 
February 16 respectively, and it was necessary that the 
South should put forth every effort to check his progress. 
Urgent appeals were therefore sent to Price to render help 
in the coming crisis. Price immediately put the matter 
before his men as to what they would do, and most of them 
decided to go with him into the Confederate service. 
But a goodly number preferred to return to Missouri and 
do all they could there toward mustering recruits for the 
Confederate army. Probably they felt that Missouri 
might yet be severed from the Union, and they were 
anxious to have a share in bringing that about. 

Leaving those who preferred to return to Missouri at 
Van Buren under General Rains, Price with those who 
decided to go into the Confederate service proceeded from 
thence to DesArc, Arkansas, on the White River, and 
here they embarked for Mempliis. Before embarking 

374 



THE CIVIL WAR 



375 




Price issued a very strong appeal to the Missouri State 
Guards, calling upon all of them to follow him into the 
Confederate camp just as 5000 of them had done, promis- 
ing that "if every man will do his duty his own roof will 
shelter him in peace from 
the storms of the coming 
winter." ^ Not every man, 
however, who followed Price 
across Mississippi enlisted for 
an indefinite length of time. 
Many were willing to go with 
him to the relief of Beau- 
regard, who had in the mean- 
while been defeated by Grant 
at Shiloh (April 6-7), but 
they insisted on being allowed 
to return to Missouri when- 
ever they saw fit. These 
men were accepted on these 
conditions, and after serving 
a few weeks in northern Mississippi, they made their way 
back to Missouri. Among these were Joe Shelby and 
John T. Hughes. 

On the arrival of Price and his men at Beauregard's 
headquarters near Corinth, Mississippi, they were organ- 
ized as the First and Second Missouri Brigades. With 
the career of these brigades during the rest of the war 
we cannot be concerned here ; but it should be said that 
they remained together down to the close of the war, 
"firing their last gun at Fort Blakeley on the shores of the 
Gulf of Mexico" on April 9, 1865, the very day on which 
Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox. They went 
into the Confederate service about 5000 strong, ^ but only 

1 This appeal was dated April 8, 1862. 

2 The original 5000 that Price took with him were almost im- 
mediately increased to 8000. The number probably never ran above 
that at any one time. 



General Joe Shelby 

Famous among the Confederate 
Generals of Missouri. 



3. Missouri 
Brigades 



376 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Skirmishes 
and Battles 
between the 
Federals 
and the 
Confederate 
Recruiting 
Parties 



800 survived the numerous combats in which they were 
engaged, and half of these survivors were in hospitals sick 
or wounded when the war closed. Probably few armies 
can show such a record of mortality as did that of the 
Missouri brigades in the Confederate service. 

The withdrawal of Price from Missouri was not fol- 
lowed, however, by a period of peace throughout the State. 
As has been said, the two years or more that intervened 
between the battle of Pea Ridge in March, 1862, and 
Price's great raid in October and November, 1864, were 
filled with numerous skirmishes and battles. None of 
them was of the same class or order as Wilson's Creek 
or Pea Ridge, but nevertheless they served to keep the 
State in almost constant turmoil. 

Many of these engagements during this period of two 
years were between the Federals and bands of recruits 
trying "to go south." A large number of these bands 
were organized by Price's men who had declined to follow 
him into the Confederate service and had preferred to 
return to Missouri. In all probability some of them came 
back to Missouri for that purpose at the express sugges- 
tion of Price. However that may have been, we know that 
during the spring and summer of 1862 recruiting camps 
sprang up in many parts of Missouri, especially in the 
northern and central parts, and that generally the leaders 
of these camps were successful in getting considerable 
bodies of men together to join the Confederate service. 

As soon as it became known to the Federal authorities 
that recruiting was going on in the State, they sent out 
expeditions against these recruiting camps and stations 
to try to break them up. In fact, most of the camps were 
broken up or the recruiting parties were scattered, so that 
the scheme of sending men south in large numbers was 
not very successful. This is not the place to present even 
in the merest outline the history of these clashes between 
the Federals and the Confederate recruiting parties, but a 
few words may be said about the battles of Kirksville, 



THE CIVIL WAR 



377 



Independence, and Lone Jack, all of which were occa- 
sioned by the pursuit of Confederate recruiting parties by 
the Federals. 

The battle of Kirksville (August 6, 1862) resulted in the 
breaking up of the recruiting campaign that had been 
carried on by Colonel Joseph C. Porter in northeastern 
Missouri during the preceding three or four months. 
Porter had been elected lieu- 
tenant colonel of a regiment 
raised in Lewis County in 
July, 1 86 1, and had taken an 
active part in the campaign 
in Missouri that year, and 
had also been with Price at 
Pea Ridge. He was among 
those who declined to follow 
Price into the Confederate 
service after the battle of Pea 
Ridge, and came back to 
Lewis County and established 
a recruiting camp there dur- 
ing April or May, 1862. By 
the first of July the Federals 
discovered what Porter was 
doing and took steps to break 
up his camp. As most of 
Porter's men were unarmed 
he was in no position to 

withstand any large force, and so his plan was to keep out 
of the way of those pursuing him. For nearly a month he 
was able to keep up an almost constant marching up and 
down northeastern Missouri, with an occasional skirmish, 
before being overtaken by Colonel John H. McNeil at 
Kirksville. By that time he had brought together nearly 
2000 men, but as not more than 500 of them were armed 
they were no match for the Federal forces when the latter 
overtook them. The result was that Porter's men, after 




Colonel (Later General) John 
H. McNeil 

Commander of the victorious 
Federal forces at Kirksville on 
August 6, 1862. He is more gener- 
ally known for causing the execution 
of ten Confederate prisoners at 
Palmyra on August i8, 1862, which 
is commonly known as the " Palmyra 
Massacre." 



I. Battle of 
Kirksville, 
Aug. 6, 1862 



378 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Battles of 
Independ- 
ence (Aug. 
II, 1862) and 
Lone Jack 
(Aug. 16, 
1862) 



Discontent 
in Missouri 



making several hours' stand against great odds at Kirks- 
ville, were forced to flee in great disorder into the Chariton 
hills west of the town. Although Porter tried to reassemble 
his men, subsequent clashes with the Federals in Macon 
County forced him to give up the attempt entirely. 
Thus ended probably the most noted effort to enlist Con- 
federate recruits in northeast Missouri after the battle 
of Pea Ridge. 

The battles of Independence (August 11, 1862) and 
Lone Jack (August 16, 1862) were brought about by 
efforts to recruit Confederate soldiers in Jackson County. 
After the defeat at Pea Ridge, Colonel Upton Hayes 
came back to Jackson County and in July established a 
recruiting camp near Lee's Summit. By August first 
he had gathered 150 men at this camp. At that time 
there was a Federal force at Independence under Colonel 
James T. Buel, and as soon as he heard what Hayes was 
doing, he decided to send to Kansas City and Lexington 
for reenforcements and then break up the camp. But 
before these reenforcements could reach Buel, he was 
attacked by a large Confederate force which included that 
of Hayes and that of Colonel Hughes, who was on his 
way to recruit in Clinton County, north of the Missouri 
River, and also that of Quantrell, the most noted of the 
Missouri guerrillas. The result was that Buel was cap- 
tured and the Federal post at Independence was broken 
up. At Lone Jack the united forces of several recruiting 
officers, among whom was Colonel Vard Cockrell, attacked 
Major Foster in an engagement that was noted for its 
desperateness. Although neither side could claim a clear- 
cut victory, the Confederates were compelled to retreat 
southward on hearing of the approach of a large Federal 
force. In fact, they were soon driven completely out of 
the State into Arkansas. 

Other engagements between Confederate recruiting 
bands that were trying to go south might be related, but 
these are sufficient to give us a glimpse into what was going 



THE CIVIL WAR 379 

on. Statistics are not available to show just how many 
Missourians went into the Confederate service through 
these recruiting expeditions, but the fact that large num- 
bers were drawn into these camps and were ready to go 
south indicates that there must have been considerable 
discontent with the situation in Missouri. If we seek 
for the causes for this discontent we shall find them not 
only in the "sympathy with the people of the South and 
the cause for which they fought," but also in such acts 
of the provisional government of Missouri as the order 
issued by Governor Gamble enrolling every man of military i. Governor 
age in the State militia and authorizing General Schofield, jvj'-iftait^ 
who was then in command of the department of Missouri, Order 
to call into the Federal service as many of the militia as he 
would need to put down marauding and to preserve peace. 
"The order was somewhat indefinite; it was generally 
supposed to be preliminary to a draft, and it was looked 
upon by the Southern sympathizers as betraying an 
intention on the part of the State and the Federal author- 
ities to force them into the army and make them fight 
against their friends and relatives in the South. They 
also regarded it as a violation by the State of the implied 
bargain which had been entered into when they were dis- 
armed and obliged under penalty of arrest and imprison- 
ment to take an oath not to bear arms against the United 
States or the provisional government of Missouri and to 
give a bond for the faithful observance of the oath. They 
held, and with some measure of justice, that in effecting 
this bond, as had generally been done throughout the 
State, the government had recognized them as non- 
combatants ; and they resolved that if they must take a 
part in the war, they would choose the side upon which 
they were to fight. Hence, as General Schofield admitted, 
the first effect of this measure was to cause every rebel 
who could possess himself of a weapon to spring to arms, 
whilst thousands of others ran to the brush to avoid the 
required enrollment," 



3 So 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Inter- 
ference 
of the 
Militia 



(a) Responsi- 
bility of 

Subordinate 
Ofl&cials for 
Outrages 



In addition to Governor Gamble's military order we 
must take note of the constant interference of the State 
militia with unoffending citizens, especially with those 
who were looked upon as sympathizers with the South, if 
we are to understand why recruiting for the Confederate 
service was popular in Missouri during the simimer of 
1862. Leaving out of consideration those cases of mili- 
tary interference that affected the entire State and "con- 
fining ourselves to those that involved crimes against 
a class or against individuals, they will be found to run 
the entire gamut — ranging from arbitrary arrest and 
imprisonment of men and women for mere opinion's sake 
to the murder of prisoners ; from the illegal requisition of 
unnecessary supplies by irresponsible parties to robberies, 
pillage, and arson. 

"To a great extent these lawless proceedings were in 
violation of orders, and it would therefore be unjust to 
hold the department commanders or the administration 
at Washington responsible for them. They were the acts 
of subordinates, and it is fair to add that as a rule they 
resulted from ignorance and an excess of zeal rather than 
from a spirit of wantonness or the desire of personal gain. 
By some curious process the average military officials, 
especially those from other states, appeared to have satis- 
fied themselves that Missouri was disloyal ; and acting 
upon this conviction, and ignorant perhaps of the fact that 
there was such a thing as military law, they not infre- 
quently conducted themselves in a manner that would 
hardly have been justifiable in an enemy's country. 
Instead of discharging the delicate duties of their office 
in such a way as to give as little offense as possible, they 
acted as if it were the policy to exasperate the people 
among whom they were stationed and drive them into 
the rebel army or, worse still, into some wild and preda- 
tory band of guerrillas. In this, unfortunately for the 
State, they were too often successful." 

The memory of the outrages committed by the military 



THE CIVIL WAR 381 

upon unoffending citizens has been the hardest to out- (b) Bitter 



ness of the 
Confederates 



live of all the bitter memories of the war in Missouri 
Many a young man was driven into the Confederate toward the 
service or to the brush because he had been compelled to ' ^^^ 

witness in utter helplessness the perpetration of awful 
outrages upon his family or neighbors, and naturally the 
memory of these wrongs rankled in his soul. Hard feel- 
ing in its bitterest form lingered longest against those 
who served in the State militia. For the Federal soldier 
who fought in the open against armed forces, the Con- 
federate soldier had great respect ; but for the State 
militiamen who remained at home and skulked about 
over the country taking vengeance upon unarmed men 
and helpless women and children, he had nothing but 
the greatest contempt and the bitterest hatred, and for 
years after the war he continued to hold against these 
men the same feelings. 

The situation was made all the more distressing in Renewal of 
Missouri by the renewal of the strife along the western 
border. We have seen how, after three or four years of 
tiimioil, quiet and order were being restored on the border 
at the close of the year i860, thanks to the cooperative 
efforts of the governors of Missouri and Kansas. But on 
the outbreak of the war these border troubles were re- 
newed in a form more violent than ever. 

The most prominent leader of the Kansas Freebooters 
was "Jim" Lane. We saw how he was driven out of the 
State by Price in 1861 while moving northward to Lexing- 
ton after the battle of Wilson's Creek. But Price had no 
more than begun his attack upon Lexington when Lane 
and his men were back in Missouri again, making for 
Osceola, which they looted and burned on September 23, 
besides killing a score of people. Shortly afterward they 
sacked Butler and Parkville in like manner. 

It was not long before western Missouri was infested i. Kansas 
with bands of robbers from Kansas known as "Red Legs" ^ ^^^ 
from the red morocco leggings which they wore. It was 



Border 
Warfare 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Sacking 
of Lawrence 
by Quantrell 



3. "Order 

Number 

Eleven" 



"their custom to dash into Missouri at intervals, seize 
horses and cattle, — not omitting other and worse out- 
rages on occasion, — and then repair with their booty to 
Lawrence, where it was defiantly sold at auction." 

Such conduct as this brought on retaliation at the 
hands of Missouri guerrillas, and as the two sets of out- 
laws preyed upon one another and upon innocent people 
besides, matters grew constantly worse until they cul- 
minated in the awful tragedy, the sacking of Lawrence, 
Kansas, by Quantrell, the most daring and lawless of 
Missouri guerrillas. This occurred on August 21, 1863. 
Gathering about him 250 men in Jackson County, Quan- 
trell rode with them all night, entering Lawrence at the 
break of day. Their task was to kill every man and burn 
every house in the town. "Riding through the streets 
with yells and curses, they shot down with their revolvers 
every man they encountered on the highway or in the 
houses, keeping up the shooting until there was no longer 
a man to be found. The streets, banks and hotels were 
rifled and then set on fire and burned, together with many 
private dwellings. General Lane was in the neighborhood 
of Lawrence at the time and the guerrillas were par- 
ticularly desirous to kill him, but he managed to escape 
their vengeance. When the work of rapine and treachery 
was completed, they galloped off, leaving the town in 
flames and 183 persons killed on the streets and in the 
burning houses." 

"Jcnnison has laid waste our houses !" more than one 
Missourian shouted on the day of the sack, "and Red Legs 
have perpetrated unheard-of crimes. We are here for 
revenge and we have got it !" 

For this raid of Quantrell upon Lawrence, fearful re- 
venge was taken upon the western border of Missouri by 
General Ewing of the Eleventh Kansas Infantry Vol- 
unteers through his notorious "Order Number Eleven." 
According to this order all persons then living in Jackson, 
Cass, and Bates counties and a part of Vernon County, 



THE CIVIL WAR 



383 



except those living within one mile of the limits of the 
principal towns, were ordered to leave their places of abode 
within fifteen days. All those who could prove to the 
nearest military commander that they were loyal citizens 
were allowed to take up their residence at any of the 
military stations in these counties or in any part of Kansas 
except along the eastern border. All other persons were 
ordered to leave these counties. Furthennore, all grain 




' Order Number Eleven 



From a painting by Colonel George C. Bingham, a member of the staff of 
General Thomas Ewing, who issued the order. In this scene is depicted some- 
thing of the terror and distress that ensued in executing the order. 



and hay were to be taken to the nearest military station, 
where the owners were to be given certificates showing 
their values, and all products not so delivered were to be 
destroyed. Specific instructions were given to the military 
commanders in these counties to execute this order 
promptly and vigorously. 

Against this cruel order there went up the most pas- 
sionate and vehement protests, but they were of no avail. 
Throughout the counties named it was most pitilessly 
executed, and men, women, and children were forced to 



(j) Execu- 
tion of the 
Order 



384' 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(b) Depreda- 
tions of the 
" Red Legs " 



(c) Prairie 
Fires 



id) Attempt 
at Justifica- 
tion of the 
Order 



flee from their homes as best they could to save their lives. 
Unfortunately, as is usually the case in war, the greatest 
hardship and suffering fell upon the women and the children. 
Cass County was almost completely depopulated ; only 
600 of the 10,000 inhabitants were allowed to remain, and 
these were crowded into military stations at Harrisonville 
and Pleasant Hill. In Bates County there were even 
fewer people left than in Cass. 

In addition to being depopulated, these counties were 
ruthlessly devastated by the Kansas " Jayhawkers " and 
" Red Legs," who came rushing in, ostensibly to assist the 
military authorities in executing the order, but in reality 
to burn, lay waste, and plunder. Indeed, they did not stop 
at murder ; many men while in the act of obeying the 
order were shot down by them. 

Following upon this willful devastation came disastrous 
prairie fires which swept away what the " Jayhawkers " 
left, and when in 1866 the exiles began to return to their 
homes, they found the roads and their farms overgrown 
with weeds, and frequently there was nothing left of 
their homes but blackened chimneys. For this reason the 
term "Burnt District" was applied to Bates and Cass 
counties for many years after the war. 

The justification that was offered by those responsible 
for this ruthless order was that it was the only way to put 
an end to the guerrilla warfare that was affecting the 
border counties of Kansas and Missouri. If these Mis- 
souri counties were depopulated and laid waste, the guer- 
rillas, it was said, would not be able to get the supplies 
needed for such attacks as that which had just been made 
upon Lawrence, and hence border warfare would cease. 
But no greater act of imbecility was committed in Missouri 
during the whole Civil War than the issuing and the 
executing of this order. It was a confession on the part 
of the Federal commander that he was unable or unwilling 
to put down the bushwhackers and to keep out the " Red 
Legs." Under the circumstances he should have given up 



THE CIVIL WAR 385 

his command to some one else instead of resorting to meas- 
ures that entailed so much unmerited suffering on the 
part of unoffending people.^ 

Other instances of military retaliation on both sides Price's 
might be related here at great length, but space will not ^ • ^°"4 
permit.- Neither can we take up the petty raids made 
into the State in 1863 by Marmaduke, Shelby, Poindexter, 
Jeff Thompson, and others. We must turn our attention 
to the last great military enterprise undertaken in Missouri 
during the war, namely, Price's famous raid into the State 
in the fall of 1864. 

For a year prior to this raid Price had been operating i. Opera- 
in Arkansas, having been transferred to the Trans-Mis- p^^e^^ 
sissippi department by President Jefferson Davis shortly Arkansas 
before the fall of Vicksburg in July, 1863. Here he was 
made to serve under men who were not his equals in 
military capacity. Some of the operations in which he 
participated in Arkansas were very disastrous to the Con- 
federates, as for example the futile attack upon Helena 

1 No other act during the war in Missouri has been given such wide 
publicity as this "Order Number Eleven." This was due largely 
to the artist, Colonel Bingham, who was on Ewing's staff at the time 
the order was made. Bingham claims that he begged Ewing not to 
issue the order, and that when his pleadings proved of no avail he 
declared he would some day make Ewing infamous. After the war 
Bingham painted a picture depicting some of the scenes that occurred 
in the execution of this order, and called it "Order Number Eleven." 
The picture became very popular and copies of it were lithographed 
and sold throughout the country, especially in Missouri. 

Fourteen years after the event. General Schofield wrote a letter 
which was published in the St. Louis Republican , claiming that Ewing 
was not solely responsible for the order. He said that the responsi- 
bility lay between himself and Ewing and President Lincoln. He 
also attempted at some length to justify the order and declared that 
it was enforced without causing any unwarranted hardship. To this 
Bingham made a spirited reply and related many incidents of suffer- 
ing which he had witnessed during the execution of the order. 

2 The Palmyra massacre (August 18, 1862) and the Centralia 
massacre (September 27, 1864) are among the most widely known of 
the military retaliations that occurred in Missouri during the war. 



386 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



on July 4, 1863, but some of the others were very success- 
ful. It was from the spoils of one of these successful 
campaigns conducted in the summer of 1864 that Price 
was enabled to supply his army with "transportation, 
small arms, artillery, camp equipage, and ammunition 



2. Pilot 
Knob and 
jL'tTerson 
City 




1~S'!t 



HtX**' ,0' 



>*:.> 









.'^"■■jV"', ^ofl^l ■ -V-»«T,.-i D O U L . > r 



i;.,;;:v..:t>, 




///4P ofPfdces Paid of 186't 

xxxy* PnceiLine of March 
■nvrH\^ RailroadiOf Mo. in 186't- 



Price's Raid, 1864 

enough to load three hundred wagons," and thus make 
possible his raid into Missouri. 

He entered Missouri in the southeast corner of the 
State with 12,000 men, and after leaving Doniphan in 
Ripley County on September 20, he marched in such a 
direction as to make Rosecrans, who had charge of the 
Federal troops in Missouri, think he was going to attack 
St. Louis. Most of the Federal troops had been taken 
out of the State to assist Sherman in his Atlanta campaign, 
so that Price was able to reach Pilot Knob, a point half 



THE CIVIL WAR 



387 



way between the southern border and St. Louis, before 
he encountered any resistance. In fact, Price was aware 
of the denuded mihtary condition of Missouri and this 
knowledge had much to do with causing him to plan and 
execute this raid. At Pilot Knob he was ineffectively 
opposed by General H. S. Ewing, but instead of going to 
St. Louis as Rosecrans had expected, he turned westward 
on reaching Franklin County and marched toward Jefferson 
City. It was then ap- 
parent that his object 
was to take the capital, 
where Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor Reynolds would 
assume the position of 
governor in place of 
Jackson, who had died 
in December, 1862. 
Reynolds was with Price 
on this raid and was 
naturally eager for the 
carrying out of the plan 
that would enable him 
to assume the governor- 
ship, but he was doomed 
to great disappoint- 
ment. By the order 
of Rosecrans, a large 

Federal force had been gathered at Jefferson City from 
different parts of Missouri for the defense of that city. 
Price immediately decided to pass around the place and 
go farther on to the west. This was on October 8. 

Within two weeks he reached independence, having 3- Westport 
passed through Boonville, Glasgow, and Lexington on his 
way, and engaging the enemy at the last two places. His 
line of march west from Jefferson City was marked by the 
destruction of railroads, telegraph lines, and bridges, in 
the accomplishment of which he was aided by a number of 




General H. S. Ewing 

Commander of the Federal forces that op- 
posed Price at Pilot Knob during the Raid 
of 1864. 



388 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



{a) Price's 
Advance to 
Independ- 
ence 



(b) The 
Three Days' 
Battle 



guerrillas, including Quantrell, Anderson, and Todd.' But 
as he approached Independence, Price found himself 
opposed by a force that had been gathered there under 
General Curtis, and at the same time pursued by another 
force under General Pleasanton that was coming up on 
his rear from Jefferson City. On October 2 1 he engaged 
Curtis on the Little Blue, a small stream eight miles east 
of Independence, and forced Curtis to withdraw behind 

the Big Blue, west 
of that place. The 
next day Price had 
to divide his forces, 
sending part of 
them against Cur- 
tis on the Big 
Blue and holding 
the rest to oppose 
Pleasanton on his 
rear. During the 
day he found him- 
self in desperate 
straits and escaped 
from being crushed 
as in.a vise by with- 
drawing southward 
from Independence 
and taking up a 
position on Brush Creek, a tributary of the Big Blue 
just south of Westport. The battle was renewed the 
next day, with most disastrous results to his army. In 
great haste Price retreated southward into Arkansas with 
General Blunt in hot pursuit, reaching Fayetteville in 
the northwest corner of that State on November 6. His 
flight was marked by great misery. "The pursuit of 
Blunt was relentless ; the skirmishes and battles were 

1 Anderson and Todd were both killed while with Price on this 
raid. 




Battle of Westport 

On the second day of the battle. Adapted from 
a map in Jenkins' Battle of Westport. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



389 



implacable ; the route of the retreat was strewn with 
wrecks of wagons, scattered camp equipage, abandoned 
tents, clothing, guns, dead horses, and dead men, both 
Federal and Confederate." 

In its bearing upon the course of the war, the battle of (c) West- 
Westport has been called the "Gettysburg of the West." ^cett^^sbur 
"Barring only the number engaged and the corresponding of the West" 
losses, the battles of Gettysburg and Westport had much 
in common. Each 
was the result of a 
campaign of inva- 
sion planned by the 
Confederate war 
department for the 
purpose of severing 
the Union territory 
at the point of at- 
tack, the one in the 
East, the other in 
the West. Each 
campaign was 
intended seriously 
to embarrass the 
Federal defense by 
necessitating the 
summoning of dis- 
tant forces to resist 

the invasion, thus setting other Confederate forces free 
to conduct their own lines of action. Each seriously 
threatened the principal cities in the invaded territory, 
and in each case that territory was chosen for the reason 
that it contained places of such importance — Wash- 
ington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia in the Eastern cam- 
paign ; St. Louis, Kansas City, and the important military 
post of Fort Leavenworth in the Western. The engage- 
ment in which each campaign culminated occupied three 
days of incessant fighting, and the defeat to the Confeder- 




Battle of Westport 

On the third day of the battle. Adapted from 
a map in Jenkins' Battle of Westport. 



390 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



4. Results 
of the Raid 



;/^^v'V^''^''C^ 



ate arms with which each closed put an end forever to 
further attempts at carrying the war northward in their 
respective portions of the Union. Each such defeat 
estabhshed one of the high tide marks of the Confederacy, 
the one in the East, and the other in the West. And 
finally, each period of three days' conflict composed, in 

numbers and importance of 
results attained, the largest 
and most decisive land battle 
of the Civil War in its respec- 
tive portion of the two great 
natural divisions of the United 
States, the territories lying 
respectively east and west of 
the Mississippi River." 

This raid was the last effort 
made by the Confederates to 
carry the war into Missouri. 
Petty skirmishing and bush- 
whacking continued down to 
the close of the war in April, 
1S65, but no organized mili- 
tary effort was made in Mis- 
souri after Price retreated 
from the State in November, 
1864. 

From every point of view 
Price's raid must be consid- 
ered a failure, and probably no one was more disappointed 
over its outcome than Price himself. Before he entered 
Missouri , secret organizations had been established among 
the Southern sympathizers throughout the State for the 
purpose of securing recruits for him. One of these 
organizations was known as the "American Knights of 
the State of Missouri." Price depended considerably 
upon these organizations to help him carry on his raid. 
He also expected that many of the men who had been 












Statue of General Sterling 
Price 

Recently erected at Keytesville, Mis- 
souri, the old home of Price. 



THE CIVIL WAR 



391 



forced into unwilling service in the State militia, which 
was known derisively as the "Pawpaw Militia," would 
rally to his standard. But, whatever his hopes were, 
they were by no means realized. Instead of the 23,000 
recruits he had been promised, no more than 6000 men 
joined his ranks as he passed through the State. More- 
over, this number of recruits was balanced by the losses 
he sustained, so that he gained nothing in the end on 
this score. In addition, his raid did not prevent the 
Federals from sending reenforcements to Thomas, who 
w'as then at Nashville, nor did it exert any considerable 
influence on the Presidential election of that year. It 
did, however, have an effect on the constitutional con- 
vention elections, which were held about the time Price 
entered Missouri, that proved to be very detrimental to 
the Southern sympathizers in the State, as we shall see 
in a later chapter. 

From a purely military point of view there were no 
battles of first rank in Missouri during the Civil War, but 
while encounters were on a small scale they were very 
numerous. Counting battles and skirmishes, there were 
about 450 military engagements in Missouri during the 
war. Many of these engagements were skirmishes be- 
tween the militia and bands of Confederate recruits who 
were trying to make their way south. In fact, practically 
all the engagements north of the Missouri River were of 
this sort. 

The number of Missourians that entered either the 
State Guards of Governor Jackson or the Confederate 
service can never be known definitely, but it is thought 
that the total exceeded 40,000. On the other hand, 
110,000 Missourians went into the Federal service.^ In 
this regard Missouri compares very favorably with the 
free states that bordered upon her and even with others 
more remote. As we have seen, there were 236,000 men 
of military age at the opening of the war ; of that number 
^ Of that number 14,000 perished in battle or from disease. 



Missouri 
and the 
CivU War 



I, Military 
Equipment 
in Missouri 



2. Number of 

Missourians 

Engaged 



392 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

only seventeen per cent went into the State Guard and 
Confederate service, while forty-seven per cent went into 
the Federal service. 

REFERENCES 

Carr, Missouri, ch. xvi. Webb, Biographies and Battles, chs. 
xii-xxv inclusive. Jenkins, The Battle of Westport. The author of 
this book calls the Battle of Westport the " Gettysburg of the West," 
and has developed his account of the engagement from that point 
of view. He is rather unfavorable to Price. Mudd, With Porter 
in Northeast Missouri. An account of Confederate recruiting in 
northeast Missouri by Colonel Joseph Porter during the spring and 
summer of 1862, following the defeat of the Confederates at Pea Ridge, 
Arkansas, in March of that year. Written by one of Porter's men. 
The following articles in the Missouri Historical Review deal with 
the period covered by this chapter : Shoemaker, ' ' The Story of the 
Civil War in Northeast Missouri," January and April, 1913 ; Grover, 
"Shelby's Raid," April, 1912, pp. 107-126; Grover, "Price's Cam- 
paign of 1864," July, 1912, pp. 167-181 ; Violette, "Battle of Kirks- 
ville," January, 191 1, pp. 91-111. 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF MISSOURI — ITS 
PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES 

[Historical Setting. — ■ The Adoption of the Thirteenth 
Amendment.] 

It will be recalled that as Lyon was advancing from St. Governor 
Louis to Jefferson City in June, 1861, Governor Jackson ^^andons 
and other State officials abandoned Jefferson City, Jefferson 
going first to Boonville, where they were overtaken and ^'^^ 
defeated by Lyon, and then later to the southern part of 
the State. Leaving Price, who had been placed in com- 
mand of the State Guards, to take up the work of 
organizing these troops for active resistance against the 
Federal forces that were coming down upon them, Jack- 
son made his way to Memphis to seek military assistance 
at the hands of the Confederate authorities there.' 

Assuming that the State of Missouri was then without Provisional 
any established government, the State convention which ^Tbr^^d* 
had adjourned its first session on March 22, 1861, subject 
to the call of the executive committee, was reconvened 
at Jefferson City on July 22 to consider what should be 
done. It was found that about twenty of the ninety- i. Second 
nine members had joined the State Guards and gone into ^^^^^^ '^^ 
the southern part of the State, among whom was Sterling vention 
Price, the president of the convention. The convention 
was therefore called to order by the vice president, Mr. 
Robert Wilson, who was thereupon made president in 
place of Price. 

* Governor Jackson started for Memphis on July 12, 1861. 
393 



394 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



^»>- 



The convention then proceeded to set up a provisional 
government for Missouri. It first declared the offices of 
governor, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state 

vacant, and then elected 
Hamilton R. Gamble as 
governor ; ' Willard P. Hall, 
lieutenant governor ; and 
Mordecai Oliver, secretary 
of state. These men were 
to hold office until November, 
1 86 1, when their successors 
were to be elected. The con- 
vention also declared the 
seats of the members of the 
legislature vacant, and or- 
dered that an election of 
Hamilton R. Gamble members to fill them should 

War Governor of Missouri, 1861-64. also be held in November.' 




1 Hamilton Rowan Gamble was a Virginian by birth. He came 
to Missouri in 1818, when only 20 years of age, and began the prac- 
tice of law. He rose very rapidly in this profession and soon became 
one of the leading lawyers in St. Louis. In 1846 he was elected to 
the legislature and in 1851 he was elected a member of the supreme 
court of Missouri by a majority of 40,000, notwithstanding the fact 
that he was a member of the Whig party, which was far from being 
a strong party in Missouri at the time. He resigned this position 
in 1855 and returned to the practice of law. In 1858 he moved to 
Philadelphia to educate his children, and was still there when the 
Civil War clouds began to gather. When the Missouri legislature 
passed an act calling a State convention to consider Missouri's 
relation to the Union, Gamble came home at once and placed him- 
self squarely against all secession sentiment. He was chairman of 
the committee of the convention which reported that there was no 
occasion for Missouri severing her relations with the Union, and when 
later the convention declared the office of governor vacant he was 
elected to fill it. The arduous labors of this office literally wore him 
out, and he died on January 31, 1864. 

2 The election of these State officers and the members of the 
legislature was postponed twice, first to August, 1862, and then to 
August, 1864. 



THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF MISSOURI 395 



In addition to these matters, the convention repealed the 
militia law and the law creating a fund to arm the militia, 
both of which had been passed by the legislature in May, 
shortly before adjourning. After adopting an address 
to the people of Missouri which had been drafted by 
Governor Gamble, the convention adjourned on July 31 
to meet when necessity should require.^ 

The action taken by the convention which created the 
provisional government is highly significant. Strictly 
speaking, the convention had no legal authority to do what 
it had just done. It had been elected to determine what 
Missouri should do with reference to secession, and it had 
no commission from the people to set up a new State 
government. As we have seen, Governor Jackson and 
the legislature were decidedly in favor of secession and 
were greatly surprised and disappointed when not a single 
out-and-out secessionist had been elected to the con- 
vention. Notwithstanding the stand which the people 
had taken against secession, the governor and the legis- 
lature were conspiring to take Missouri out of the Union. 
Under these circumstances there was nothing else for 
those who were opposed to secession to do but to support 
the provisional government which the convention had 
established. 

But there were many difficult problems which this pro- 
visional government had to solve. First of all, there 
was the question of the regularly elected " Jackson gov- 
ernment " which tried to maintain itself for some time, 
notwithstanding the fact it had been run out of the capital. 
After the military successes of 1861 at Wilson's Creek 
(August 10) and at Lexington (September 20), Governor 
Jackson called the legislature to meet at Neosho on 
October 21. It seems very evident that only a minority 
of both houses met in response to this call. But, in spite 
of that fact, "an act to dissolve the political connection 

^ It should be noted here that these events occurred as the battle 
of Wilson's Creek (Augxist 10, 1861) was impending. 



2. Signifi- 
cance of the 
Action of the 
Convention 



Problems 
of the 
Provisional 
Government 



396 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



I. The 
" Jackson 
Govern- 
ment " 



Revenue 



3. Militia 



between the State of Missouri and the United States of 
America" was passed by the legislature, and due notifi- 
cation of the passage of the same was sent to the 
Confederate government.^ The legislature met again at 
Cassville for a few days early in November of that year, 
'but after that it never convened again. The turn of 
military fortune that came to the Federals with the battle 
of Pea Ridge in March, 1862, forced the "Jackson gov- 
ernment " to discontinue its effort to maintain itself. 

Then there was the problem, of getting revenue with 
which to run the provisional government. The treasury 
was empty, and it was impossible to collect taxes. Owing 
to the confusion that prevailed throughout the State, 
as the time set by the convention for the election of 
State offfcers and members of the legislature drew near, 
it was deemed advisable to assemble the convention again. 
Governor Gamble accordingly issued a call for the con- 
vention to meet in St. Louis on October 10, 1861. 
After passing an ordinance changing the time of holding 
the above-mentioned election from November, 1861, to 
August, 1862, the convention took up the problem of 
finance and decided that the best way to solve it was to 
economize and to borrow money. Accordingly a great 
number of offices were abolished, the salaries of all civil 
officers were reduced twenty per cent, and provisions 
were made for loans. 

The militia was another very serious matter with which 
the Gamble government had to deal. The State Guards 
had, of course, followed Jackson and Price, but the con- 
vention in its third session held in St. Louis in October, 
1 86 1, made provisions for the forming of the loyal State 
militia, which Governor Gamble immediately organized. 
As the State was without funds, the Federal government 



1 Governor Jackson had issued a Declaration of Independence 
while at New Madrid on August 5, 1861, in which he declared that 
"the political connection between the United States and the people 
and the governor of Missouri is and ought to be totally dissolved," 



THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF MISSOURI 397 

furnished this militia with the necessary amis and equip- 
ment and to a very large extent directed all its movements 
and operations. In fact, after it had been settled by 
the battle of Pea Ridge that Missouri would not be taken 
out of the Union by force, most of the Federal troops 
that had been used in Missouri were withdrawn from the 
State and sent to other fields. Thereafter the burden 
of the military work done in the State was laid upon the 
State militia and not upon regular United States soldiers. 

But the most difficult questions which the provisional 
government had to face were, first, that regarding qualifi- 
cations for suffrage and office -holding, and second, that 
regarding emancipation, to the consideration of which 
we must now give some attention. 

If the provisional government was to succeed, it was 4. Quaiifi- 
not only necessary to drive out of the State all the nations for 

. . -^ ■^ Suffrage 

military forces that were supporting the " Jackson govern- and Office- 
ment," but it was considered equally necessary that all i^°l'^'"s 
the civil officials in the State should support the provisional 
government. The State convention, therefore, at its 
third session held in October, 1861, passed an ordinance (a) Ordi- 
providing that every civil officer in the State should pledge ^^^\ °^ 
himself not to take up arms against either the government 1861 
of the United States or the provisional government of 
the State, and not to give aid or comfort to the enemies 
of either during the war. Failure on the part of any 
officer to take this oath within sixty days entailed for- 
feiture of his office. Many officials throughout the State 
refused to take this oath and were expelled from office, and 
loyalists were installed in their places. The result was 
that the provisional government very shortly secured a 
set of loyal civil officials throughout the State. 

But it was felt necessary to go one step farther and (*) Ordi- 
insure the regular election of loyal officials by limiting Tune'^i°86^ 
the suffrage to loyalists. To that end the convention 
in its fourth session, held at Jefferson City in June, 
1862, passed an ordinance defining the quaHfications of 



398 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

voters and civil officers. This ordinance provided that 
no person should vote in any election in the State who 
should not first take an oath that he would support, pro- 
tect, and defend the Constitution of the United States and 
that of Missouri ; that he would bear true faith, loyalty, 
and allegiance to the United States and would not directly 
or indirectly give aid, comfort, or countenance to the 
enemies of the government of the United States or of the 
provisional government of Missouri ; and that he had not 
since December 17, 1861, willfully taken up arms or levied 
war against the United States or the provisional govern- 
ment of Missouri. This ordinance also provided that 
a similar oath should be taken by all persons elected or 
appointed to civil office in Missouri, and by all jurymen 
and attorneys, the president, the professors, and the 
curators of the University of Missouri, all bank officers, 
common-school teachers and trustees, and licensed and 
ordained preachers. 

It was under this ordinance prescribing the qualifica- 
tion of voters that three elections were held in Missouri, 
one for members of the legislature in November, 1862, ^ 
another for members of the legislature and State officials 
in August, 1864, and another for Presidential electors in 
November, 1864. It need not be said that only loyalists 
were elected at these several elections. 
5. Emanci- The problem of emancipation, however, proved the most 
pation difficult to solvc of all the questions that came before 

the provisional government. The particular difficulty 
involved in this problem was due chiefly to the disagree- 
ment that arose among the loyalists themselves as to 
when and how the slaves of Missouri should be freed. 
But some time before the provisional government took 
any action in this matter an attempt had been made to 

' The convention had decided at its fourth session that the election 
of State officers should be postponed from November, 1862, to 
August, 1864, thus giving them more than three years of rule under 
no authority other than election by the convention in July, 1861. 



THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF MISSOURI 399 



deal with the question by General Fremont, who had been 
put in command of the Federal troops in Missouri in 
July, 1 86 1. Owing to the disorder and turbulence in 
Missouri following upon the battle of Wilson's Creek, 
Fremont issued a proclamation ten days after that battle, 
declaring martial law throughout the State. According 
to this proclamation all persons found with arms within 
the lines of the army of occupation that extended from 
Fort Leavenworth to Cape Girardeau should be shot ; 
the property of all persons within the State who should 
take up arms against the United States or who should 
take an active part with its enemies in the field should 
be confiscated ; and furthermore, the slaves of such per- 
sons, if they should have any, should be declared free. 

The confiscating and manumitting portion of this 
proclamation occasioned considerable excitement through- 
out the State, and this was greatly increased when 
Fremont freed two slaves belonging to Colonel Snead, 
Price's chief of staff. ^ The proclamation was at once 
disapproved by Lincoln as being without warrant of 
law and was shortly modified by him so as to bring it 
within the limits of the law. 

During the winter of 1861-62 Lincoln began to advocate 
"compensated abolishment" of slavery in the border 
states. His plan was to pay the loyal slaveholders of 
the border states for their slaves before emancipating 
by force the slaves in the seceding states, and he con- 
templated putting this scheme into operation first in 
Missouri. Accordingly in December, 1862, a bill was 
introduced into the United States Senate by Senator 
Henderson of Missouri providing for $20,000,000 to pay 
for the slaves of the loyal owners in Missouri, and a similar 
bill was introduced into the House. The House bill, how- 
ever, provided for only $10,000,000 instead of $20,000,000. 
Both bills were passed by the houses into which they had 

^ It is not known whether any other slaves were freed under this 
proclamation or not. 



(tf) Fremont' 
Proclama- 
tion 



(6) Lincoln's 
.Scheme of 
"Compen- 
sated Abol- 
ishment " 



400 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



(c) Fourth 
Session of the 
Convention 



(d) Ordi- 
nance for 
Gradual 
Emancipa- 
tion 



been introduced, but owing to the difference between the 
two in the amount appropriated, it was necessary to com- 
promise the matter. The Senate agreed to $15,000,000 as 
the compromise amount, but the House would not allow 
the bill with that amount to come to a vote. Thus 
ended the attempt in Congress to compensate the loyal 
slave owners for their slaves. 

An attempt was made during the fourth session of the 
State convention held in June, 1862, to pass an ordinance 
submitting to the people certain amendments to the 
constitution and also a scheme for the gradual emancipa- 
tion of slaves in the State ; but the ordinance failed to 
pass the convention by a very decided vote of 52 to 19. 

At the election held in November, 1862, for members 
of the legislature, most of those elected were in favor of 
emancipation. But they could do nothing on that 
subject, however, because of the constitutional provision 
which forbade the emancipation of slaves in the State 
without the consent of the owners or the payment of a 
full equivalent for the slaves so freed. As there was no 
money in the State treasury, emancipation by compensa- 
tion could not be undertaken by the legislature. 

But as the people were evidently in favor of emancipat- 
ing the slaves of the State, Governor Gamble ventured to 
call the convention together again at Jefferson City in 
June, 1863. This proved to be its final session. In his 
proclamation convening the convention Governor Gamble 
said that the subject of emancipation had for some time 
engaged the public mind and that it was of the highest 
importance to the interests of the State that some scheme 
of emancipation should be adopted. He also said that the 
legislature at its last session had been unable to deal 
with the matter because of constitutional limitations, and 
had indicated that the convention should be called 
together again for the express purpose of considering 
emancipation. In due time the convention passed an 
ordinance providing that "slavery and involuntary servi- 



THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF MISSOURI 401 

tude except for the punishment of crime should cease to 

exist in Missouri on July 4, 1870, and that all slaves 

within the State on that date should be declared free." ^ 

This program of gradual emancipation was by no means Lincoln and 

satisfactory to all the Union men in Missouri. By this the Radicals 
-' . -'of Missouri 

time there had arisen two factions among the Union 

men — the Conservatives and the Radicals.^ The former 

advocated gradual emancipation and the latter immediate 

emancipation; the former believed that the slaves on i. Rise of 

receiving their freedom should be kept under the control Conserva- 

. . ^ tives and 

of their former masters until they could learn to take Radicals 
care of themselves, while the latter favored the abolition 
of slavery without any conditions whatsoever. The 
scheme of emancipation which the convention adopted 
was supported only by the Conservatives ; to the Radicals 
it was a dilatory and half-hearted measure and was 
bitterly opposed by them. 

The Radicals now undertook to bring about "an 2. Meeting 
organized protest against the whole Conservative rule °f Radicals 
of the State and the Federal policy which supports it." City 
To that end a mass meeting was called to meet at Jeffer- 
son City on September 2. Delegates came from four 
fifths of the counties of the State. A series of resolutions 
was adopted, one of which arraigned the provisional 
government as being untrue to the people of the State. 

^ Provision was made that all persons emancipated by this ordi- 
nance should remain under the control of their owners as servants 
during a certain specified period. 

2 These two parties at first were called "Claybanks" and "Char- 
coals." The "Claybanks" originally were those who had opposed 
Fremont's radical policy while in command of the Department of 
Missouri; the "Charcoals" favored extreme measures to crush out 
the rebellion and advocated immediate emancipation of all slaves 
by proclamation of the President. All Republicans had previously 
been christened "Black Republicans" by their opponents because of 
their sympathy with the negroes and their opposition to slavery. 
The "Charcoals" were so called because they were the blackest 
of the black. 



402 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Radical 
Delegation 
before 
Lincoln 



The chief counts in the indictment thus brought against 
the Gamble government were : ' ' The use of the forces of 
the State to maintain slavery ; the disarmament of 
loyalists and the establishment of the enrolled militia, 
many of whom were characterized as known and avowed 
disloyalists ; ^ and a refusal to cooperate with the general 
government particularly in the execution of orders levy- 
ing assessments against disloyalists." The meeting 
then decided to send a committee of seventy to Wash- 
ington to lay their grievances before Lincoln and to 
procure a change in the governmental policy in reference 
to Missouri. 

On September 30, 1863, Lincoln received this committee 
of seventy in the White House. For a full half hour 
Mr. Drake, chairman of the committee, read slowly and 
impressively the address which had been drafted. The 
origin and development of the antagonism between the 
Gamble administration and the Radical Union men of 
Missouri was reviewed at length. Gamble was charged 
with the intention of preserving slavery in Missouri, 
while the Radicals desired and demanded the election of 
a new convention for the purpose of immediately ridding 
the State of slavery. Lincoln's emancipation proclama- 
tion of January i, 1863, which freed the slaves in those 
states which were in rebellion,^ was cordially approved, 
and the question was raised as to "why the people of 



' There were two bodies of soldiers known as the Missouri Militia. 
These were designated as the Missouri State Militia and the Enrolled 
Missouri Militia. The first was composed of volunteer troops en- 
listed in the service of the United States and supported by it. They 
were maintained exclusively for the protection of the State. The 
other was organized by order of the governor and was controlled 
by him exclusively and at no time was it subject to the orders of the 
United States. 

2 This emancipation proclamation did not affect the border 
states, such as Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware, nor 
did it affect Tennessee and parts of Louisiana and Virginia, inas- 
much as they were not in a state of rebellion at that time. 



THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF MISSOURI 403 

Missouri should not from the same sense of duty strike 
down with equal suddenness the traitorous and formidable 
institution in their midst." The address closed with a 
very impressive appeal to the President for action in 
behalf of the Radicals in Missouri. "We ask only justice 
and protection for our suffering people. If they are to 
suffer hereafter and now, as in times past, the world will 
remember that they are not responsible for the gloomy 
page in Missouri's history." 

For more than two and a half hours Lincoln discussed 
the matters presented in this address. He was aware 
of the fact that the delegation before him was voicing 
not only the opinion of the Radicals of Missouri, but also 
the demands of the radical anti-slavery elements of the 
whole country, that he should extend his emancipation 
proclamation so as to cover slavery everywhere and that 
he should use negro troops against the Confederate army. 
The Missourians, too, appreciated the national signifi- 
cance of their mission. On their way to Washington they 
had been enthusiastically entertained at several different 
places and had been urged to stand firm on their plat- 
form that slavery should be abolished immediately in the 
border states without compensation. 

Five days after this conference Lincoln sent his reply 4. Lincoln's 
to the committee. No keener or saner analysis of the ^^p'^ 
situation as it existed in Missouri has ever been given. 
After reviewing the demands that the Missourians had 
made of him, he began his reply with these words : 

"We are in civil war. In such case there is always a 
main question, but in this case that question is a per- 
plexing compound — Union and Slavery. It thus 
becomes a question not of two sides merely, but of at 
least four sides, even among those who are for the Union, 
saying nothing of those who are against it. Thus, those 
who are for the Union but not without slavery; those 
for it without but not with ; those for it with or without 
but prefer it with ; those for it with or without but prefer 



404 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



5. Attempt 
of the 
Radicals to 
Defeat 
Lincoln 



it without ; among these again is a subdivision of those 
who are for gradual but not immediate, and those who are 
for immediate, but not for gradual, extinction of slavery." 

On coming to the demands made by the Missourians, 
he declined to remove General Schofield or to attempt 
the destruction of the enrolled militia, but he ordered 
Schofield to render the requested assistance in the forth- 
coming elections. In conclusion he said : 

"The Radicals and Conservatives each agree with me 
in some things and disagree in others. I could wish 
both to agree with me in all things ; for then they would 
agree with each other and would be too strong for any 
foe from any quarter. They, however, choose to do 
otherwise and I do not question their rights. I hold 
whoever commands in Missouri or elsewhere responsible 
to me and not to either Radicals or Conservatives. It is 
my duty to hear all ; but, at last, I must, within my sphere, 
judge what to do and what to forbear." 

Although Lincoln declined the most important demands 
made by the Radicals, his sympathies were with them. 
"They are nearer to me than the other side in thought 
and sentiment," he said later, "though bitterly hostile 
personally. They are the unhandiest fellows in the 
world to deal with, but after all their faces are set Zion- 
wards." 

That the Radicals of Missouri were not pleased with 
Lincoln's policy regarding the State is seen in the efforts 
they made to defeat his renomination in 1864. They 
joined with the Radicals of other states who felt that 
he had not been aggressive enough, and sent delegates 
to a convention held at Cleveland in May, 1864, which 
nominated Fremont for President. After Fremont with- 
drew from the race, they sent a delegation to the regular 
Republican convention held at Baltimore under the name 
of "The National Union Convention." The Conserva- 
tives of Missouri also sent a rival delegation to this 
convention, but after considerable wrangling the Radicals 



THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF MISSOURI 405 

were seated and cast their votes for Grant for President. 
As all the other delegates had cast their votes for Lincoln, 
the Missouri delegation changed their votes to him and 
this made the nomination unanimous. But they had the 
satisfaction of registering their disapproval of Lincoln 
by voting first for Grant. The following November, 
however, Lincoln carried the State by 40,000.^ 

At the same time that Lincoln carried Missouri by so 
large a majority, the Radicals elected their entire State 
ticket with the same majority, with Thomas C. Fletcher 
at the head as governor.^ They also carried the prop- 
osition to hold a State constitutional convention which 
was authorized to consider such constitutional amend- 
ments as were necessary to abolish slavery and would 
guarantee only to loyal citizens the right to vote. It was 
generally understood that the first duty of this conven- 
tion would be to pass an ordinance freeing the slaves in 
the State immediately. 

This constitutional convention assembled in St. Louis Ordinance 
on January 6, 1865, and continued in session until ^°at™;^an. 
April 10. It was composed of sixty-six members, three cipation in 
fourths of whom were Radicals. It turned at once to ^'^^°*""' 
the question of emancipation, and on January 1 1 , five 
days after it had convened, an ordinance abolishing 
slavery in Missouri immediately and without compensa- 
tion was passed by a vote of 60 to 4.^ Thus Missouri by 
her own independent action abolished slavery within her 
borders before the thirteenth amendment of the national 
Constitution abolishing it everywhere in the United 

1 Lincoln 71,676; McClellan 31,626. 

2 The death of Gamble in January, 1864,. weakened the strength of 
the Conservatives considerably. He had offered his resignation as 
governor to the convention in July, 1863, but was induced to with- 
draw it. 

3 On the reception of the news at Jefferson City of the passage of 
this emancipation ordinance, the legislature, which was then in 
session at Jefferson City, held a jubilee celebration in honor of the 
event, the chief feature of which was a speech by Governor Fletcher, 



4o6 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

States was adopted. That amendment was not adopted 
by the necessary number of states to put it into force 
until December, 1865. 

With the passage of this emancipation ordinance, the 
second great political issue that arose in Missouri during 
the war was disposed of. The first issue had been that of 
Missouri's relation to the Union. That was settled early 
in the war in favor of the Union. The second issue 
had been that of emancipation. That was not settled 
until near the close of the war. Meanwhile, a third issue 
had arisen, that of suffrage, and remained as a heritage 
from the war to trouble the political peace of the State 
long after military hostilities had ceased. The history 
of that issue will occupy our attention in the next chapter. 

REFERENCES 

Carr, Missouri, ch. xvii. Harvey, State of Missouri from its 
Territorial Days to 1904, ch. xvii. Harding, "Missouri Party 
Struggles in the Civil War Period," in the American Historical 
Association Reports, 1900, vol. i, pp. 85-103. The following articles 
in the Missouri Historical Review bear upon the different topics 
discussed in this chapter: Harvey, "Missouri from 1849 to 1861," 
October, 1907, pp. 23-40; Snyder, "State Convention of Missouri 
in i860," January, 1908, pp. 112-131; Robinson, "Two Missouri 
Historians," April, 1911, pp. 129-138; Philips, "Gamble and the 
Provisional Government," October, 1910, pp. 1-14; Macdougal, 
"A Decade of Missouri Politics," 1860-70, January, 1909, pp. 
126-153; Simonds, "Missouri History as Illustrated by Bingham," 
April, 1907, pp. 181-190; Stevens, "Lincoln and Missouri," January, 
1916, pp. 63-120. Special attention .should be called to this last- 
named article. In it the author has traced the interest that Lincoln 
took in public affairs in Missouri from 1858 to his death, and has 
brought out the close connection that existed between Lincoln and 
the Blairs of Missouri. This article has been drawn upon exten- 
sively in the preparation of the latter part of this chapter. 



CHAPTER XX 



THE RULE OF THE RADICAL PARTY IN MISSOURI 



{Historical Setting. 



The Reconstruction of the Southern 
States.! 




I. Leader- 
ship of 
Drake 
in the 
Convention 
of 1865 



In the preceding chapter we saw that the constitutional Suffrage 
convention of 1865, after passing an emancipation ordi- 
nance, turned to the question of suffrage. 

Very few of the 66 delegates who composed this con- 
vention were very widely known throughout the State 
and "most of them went back 
into immediate obscurity when 
the convention terminated." 
The leader of this convention 
was Charles D, Drake. His 
political career had been that 
of a "turncoat," having been 
first a Whig, then a Know- 
nothing, and then a Democrat. 
By 1865 he had come to be 
the leader of the Radical party, 
and through that leadership he 
dominated the convention of 
1865 as perhaps no other man 
in Missouri has ever dominated 
any assembly or convention. 
In fact, so clear was his leader- 
ship and influence that the con- 
stitution which this convention drew up has generally 
been spoken of as the "Drake Constitution," especially 
by his opponents.^ 

' Because of Drake's leading part in framing this constitution 
and because of the many severities of certain of its sections, it re- 

407 



Charles D. Drake 

Leader of the Radicals in Mis- 
souri and author of the " Drake 
Constitution." 



4o8 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Debates 
on Suffrage 



The debates on the question of suffrage were very pro- 
longed and bitter. No other subject occupied so much 
of the time and attention of the convention and no other 
aroused such antagonism. The issue was whether or 
not those who were counted as rebels should have the 
right to vote. It will be recalled that they had been dis- 
franchised by the State convention in 1862. Many of 
the delegates in the convention of 1865 were in favor of 
removing this restriction on suffrage, partially at least, 
but the majority were determined to make it all the more 
difficult for those who had been in the least tainted with 
disloyalty to vote. Probably the circumstances under 
which the delegates to this convention had been elected 
had something to do with their attitude on the question 
of suffrage. At that time Price was just closing his famous 
raid of 1864, and many of the delegates doubtless came 
to the convention with their minds bent upon revenge 
toward all rebels and their sympathizers. No doubt they 
also wanted to insure their hold upon the government of 
the State. That they satisfied themselves in this matter 
is seen from the section which sets forth the list of those 
who were disqualified from voting. So sweeping in its 
restrictions is this section that we give it here in full : 



3. Disquali- 
fications for 
Voting 



Section 3. At any election held by the people under this Con- 
stitution, or in pursuance of any law of this State, or under any ordi- 
nance or by-law of any municipal corporation, no person shall be 
deemed a qualified voter who has ever been in armed hostility to the 
United States, or to the lawful authorities thereof, or to the Govern- 
ment of this State ; or has ever given aid, comfort, countenance, or 
support to persons engaged in any such hostility ; or has ever, in 
any manner, adhered to the enemies, foreign or domestic, of the 
United States, either by contributing to them, or by unlawfully 
sending within their lines money, goods, letters, or information ; or 
has ever disloyally held communication with such enemies ; or has 



minded many people of the laws of Draco of ancient Greece, which 
were noted for the heavy penalties that were levied for their viola- 
tion. For these reasons the constitution of 1865 was frequently 
called the "Draconian Code." 



THE RULE OF THE RADICAL PARTY 409 

ever advised or aided any person to enter the service of such enemies ; 
or has ever, by act or word, manifested his adherence to the cause of 
such enemies, or his desire for their triumph over the arms of the 
United States, or his sympathy with those engaged in exciting or 
carrying on rebellion against the United States ; or has ever, except 
under overpowering compulsion, submitted to the authority, or 
been in the service of the so-called "Confederate States of America ; " 
or has ever left this State and gone within the lines of the armies of 
the so-called "Confederate States of America," with the purpose 
of adhering to said states or armies ; or has ever been a member of, 
or connected with, any order, society, or organization inimical to the 
government of the United States, or to the government of this State ; 
or has ever been engaged in guerrilla wa.-fare against loyal inhabi- 
tants of the United States, or in that description of marauding com- 
monly known as "bushwhacking;" or has ever knowingly and 
willingly harbored, aided or countenanced any person so engaged ; 
or has ever come into or left this State for the purpose of avoiding 
enrollment for or draft into the military'*service of the United States ; 
or has ever, with a view to avoid enrollment in the militia of this 
State, or to escape the performance of duty therein, or for any other 
purpose, enrolled himself, or authorized himself to be enrolled, by or 
before any officer, as disloyal, or as a Southern sympathizer, or in 
any other terms indicating his disaffection to the government of the 
United States in its contest with rebellion, or his sympathy with those 
engaged in such rebellion ; or, having ever voted at any election by 
the people in this State, or in any other of the United States, or in 
any of their territories, or under the United States, shall thereafter 
have sought or received, vmder claim of alienage, the protection of 
any foreign government, through any consul or other officer thereof, 
in order to secure exemption from military duty in the militia of this 
State, or in the army of the United States ; nor shall any such person 
be capable of holding, in this State, any office of honor, trust, or 
profit under its authority ; or of being an officer, councilman, direc- 
tor, trustee, or other manager of any corporation, public or private, 
now existing, or hereafter established by its authority ; or of acting 
as a professor or teacher in any educational institution, or in any 
common or other school ; or of holding any real estate or other prop- 
erty in trust for the use of any church, religious society or congre- 
gation. But the foregoing provisions in relation to acts done against 
the United States shall not apply to any person not a citizen thereof, 
who shall have committed such acts while in the service of some 
foreign country at war with the United States, and who has, since 
such acts, been naturalized, or may hereafter be naturalized, under 
the laws of the United States ; and the oath of loyalty hereinafter 



4IO HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

prescribed, when taken by any such person, shall be considered as 
taken in such sense. 

It will be noticed that the words "who has ever" 
recur in each of the clauses enumerating those who were 
disqualified from voting. An attempt was made in the 
convention to amend this section so as to substitute for 
the word "ever" the words "since the 17th of December, 
1861." ^ It was pointed out by those who supported 
this amendment that an amnesty had been granted in 
1 86 1 by Governor Gamble and the convention to all who 
had taken up arms against the government at the call of 
Governor Jackson, who would voluntarily return to their 
peaceful pursuits by December 17, 1861, and take an oath 
of allegiance to the government, and that the words "who 
has ever" in the proposed section on suffrage violated 
that amnesty. But the amendment failed to carry, and 
the section as adopted contained the ominous words "who 
has ever." 
Disquaii- Not only were these elaborate disqualifications for 

fications voting provided, but in another section the religious, 

for the or- 1 . . rii 

Professions charitable, social, and business relations of the people 
were invaded, and a provision was made for an "expurga- 
torial oath" for ministers of the gospel, attorneys, and 
teachers. Under that section no person was permitted 
to practice law or be competent as a preacher, priest, 
deacon, minister, or clergyman of any religious persuasion, 
sect, or denomination to teach or preach or solemnize 
marriages unless such person should have first taken, 
subscribed, and filed the prescribed oath of loyalty. So 
comprehensive and so detailed was the test oath that was 
required of those who sought to vote or to practice the 
above-mentioned professions that it was known as the 
"Ironclad Oath." 
For this sweeping system of disfranchisement and test 

• The disfranchising ordinance of 1862 contained the phrase 
"since December 17, 1861." 



THE RULE OF THE RADICAL PARTY 411 

oaths the Radical party of 1865 has been roundly con- 
demned from that time to this by many fair-minded 
men. In defense of this party, however, it has been 
pointed out that a similar system was inaugurated by the 
convention in 1862, and that the records of the convention 
show that the ordinance which it passed providing for 
disfranchisement and oaths of loyalty was "introduced, 
supported, and voted for by Democrats." But even 
admitting all that, we are forced to say that the system of 
1862 was by no means as drastic and sweeping as that of 
1865. And furthermore, when we note the spirit in 
which the latter was framed and enforced, we are com- 
pelled to conclude that there are sufficient grounds for 
condemning the Radicals for the extreme measures they 
took. More light will be thrown upon the operation 
of the system as we proceed in this chapter.^ 

It was evident very soon after the convention assembled Adoption of 

that instead of amending the existing constitution, which *^f. ^°^f^^- 

. . tution of 

had been framed and adopted in 1820, it would draft an 1865 

entirely new instrument. There is some doubt as to 

whether the convention had any authority to frame a 

new constitution, and some of the members expressed 

themselves accordingly when it was apparent what was 

on foot. But the majority ignored the protests of the 

minority and pushed their program through. The new 

constitution was finally adopted by the convention by a 

vote of 38 to 13, and the convention adjourned on April 

10, 1865. Provision was made for submitting the new 

constitution to the people on June 6, 1865, but only those 

who could take the oath of loyalty prescribed by the 

constitution itself were allowed to vote upon its adoption. 

The campaign that was held for its adoption was "the 

most unusual in the history of the State." It was bitter 

1 At least one third of the people were deprived of the right to vote 
because of these test oaths, and undoubtedly a great many more 
would have been deprived of suffrage if they had sworn strictly to the 
truth when they came to take the test oath. 



412 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

from beginning to end. Of course those who were dis- 
franchised were opposed to the new constitution, but the 
surprising feature in the campaign was the bitter opposi- 
tion within the ranks of those who had the right to vote 
upon it. Not all the Radicals themselves were for the 
constitution, but after the first few weeks of the cam- 
paign, the Radicals who opposed it were whipped into 
line. The constitution was adopted by a majority of 
less than 2000, the vote standing 43,670 for and 41,808 
against.^ 

The chief support for the constitution came from the out- 
lying counties of the State, especially those in the north- 
western and southwestern parts, rather than from St. 
Louis or the Missouri River counties.^ In fact, the vote 
in St. Louis and in the Missouri River counties was over- 
whelmingly against adoption, and from the early returns 
it looked as though the constitution would be defeated. 
Even after the returns from the border counties gave a 
kind of reassuring efifect, it was not until the soldier vote 
came in that a majority for the constitution was assured. 
Had the opposition been as vigorously organized as those 
who favored the constitution, it would not have been 
adopted. On receiving the complete returns Governor 
Fletcher declared that the constitution would go into 
efifect on July 4, 1865. 
The Between the adoption of the constitution by a vote of the 

people and the time it went into effect, an event of great 
significance in connection with the establishment of the 
Radical rule in Missouri occurred, namely, the removal 
of the judges of the supreme court of the State through 

' The total vote on the constitution was 85,478, which was about 
55,000 less than that cast in the preceding November on the question 
as to whether the convention should be held or not. 

2 It will be recalled that St. Louis and the Missouri River counties 
were the chief strongholds of the old line Whig party before the war. 
As a matter of fact, the chief opponents to the constitution of 1865 
were those who had been old line Whigs. 



Ousting 
Ordinance 



THE RULE OF THE RADICAL PARTY 413 

the enforcement of the so-called "Ousting Ordinance." 
This ordinance, which had been 'passed by the constitu- 
tional convention on March 17, provided that the offices 
of the judges and the clerks of the supreme court and 
of all the circuit courts of the State, and also certain 
county offices, such as recorders, circuit attorneys, and 
sheriffs, should be vacated. It also gave the governor 
authority to fill all these places with his own appointees. 
Like the ordinance which this same convention had passed 
abolishing slavery, this one was not to be submitted to 
the people for adoption or rejection, but was to be put 
into effect by May first. The justification that was offered 
for this wholesale removal of officials was that only those 
who were known to be loyal men should be allowed to 
hold office ; but that was evidently only a pretext. 
Governor Hall had assured the legislature in his message 
the preceding December that all the civil offices of the 
State were then filled with men of avowed loyalty, and 
most of these men were still in office when the "Ousting 
Ordinance" was passed. But there were grave doubts, 
however, as to whether the supreme court would support 
the acts of the convention, including the ordinance 
abolishing slavery, and it was felt absolutely necessary to 
insure against an adverse decision by that body. Hence 
it was decided to remove the judges of the supreme court 
and to appoint new members ; and to cover up the design 
in doing this, a great host of other officials, nimibering 
about 1000 in all, were likewise to be turned out of doors 
at the same time. Although the ordinance provided that 
it should be enforced on May first, it was not until June 
14 that it was applied to the supreme court. One of the 
three judges. Judge Bates, had resigned in advance of the 
attempt to enforce the ordinance, but the other two, 
Judges Bay and Dryden, refused to vacate until they 
were forcibly ejected. Governor Fletcher thereupon 
appointed David Wagoner, Nathaniel Holmes, and W. L. 
Lovelace to the bench. 



414 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Radical 
Rule in 
Missouri 



I . Enforce- 
ment of 
the "Test 
Oath" upon 
the 
Professions 



With the supreme court thus molded to suit their 
notion and with the adoption of the new constitution, 
the Radicals were placed in a position where they might 
successfully control the political affairs of the State for a 
long period of time. As a matter of fact, however, they 
maintained themselves for only five years. What they 
did during that time and what brought about their over- 
throw will now engage our attention. 

The first efforts of the Radicals after the constitution 
went into effect were directed toward enforcing the test 
oath upon the professional classes, that is, ministers, 
teachers, and lawyers. The constitution provided that 
it was necessary for these to take this test oath within 
sixty days after the ratification of the constitution. 
Probably no section in the whole constitution was more 
detested than this one regarding the professional classes, 
and from the very' beginning it was evident that its en- 
forcement would be stoutly resisted. Perhaps the greatest 
resistance came from the ministers, and many of them con- 
tinued preaching and performing the duties of their office 
without taking the oath. Numerous indictments were 
filed against such ministers, some of whom were put into 
jail. Finally the case of Reverend Father Cummings, a 
Catholic priest in the town of Louisiana, was taken into 
the Supreme Court of the United States ; and that sec- 
tion of the constitution prescribing an oath for the profes- 
sional classes was declared unconstitutional.^ It should 
be noted, however, that the decision was^ot on the con- 
stitutionality of the oath itself, but on the question 
whether conditions might be laid down for the practice 



' Cummings was convicted in the circuit court on the charge of 
having preached and taught without taking the oath and was 
sentenced to pay a fine of $500 and be committed to jail until the 
fine and costs were paid. The supreme court of Missouri sus- 
tained the decision of the circuit court. The Supreme Court of the 
United States, however, declared the law unconstitutional and thus 
freed him. This decision was handed down on January 14, 1867. 



THE RULE OF THE RADICAL PARTY 415 

of a profession. The court held that the requirement of 
an oath of the professional classes was in violation of 
that provision of the Federal Constitution which prohibits 
any state from enacting bills of attainder and ex post facto 
laws, and was therefore null and void. The Radicals 
were no doubt relieved at having this section concerning 
the oath declared unconstitutional, so great had the 
dissatisfaction over it become.^ 

As a means of eliminating from the electorate all the 2. Registry 
more efifectively those who were suspected of disloyalty, ^g^^ ^^^ 
the constitution of 1865 authorized the legislature to 1868 
provide for a complete and uniform registration by dis- 
tricts of the names of the qualified voters of the State. 
Acting upon that authority, the legislature passed a 
registry law in 1866, according to which the State was 
divided into small electoral districts, and over each of 
these was placed a superintendent of registration elected 
by the people of that district .^ Two years later a more 
stringent registry law was passed, which provided, 
among other things, that the superintendents of regis- 
tration were to be appointed by the governor rather 
than elected by the people. The explanation that was 
ofifered by the Radicals for this change was that so long 
as the superintendents were elected, it was impossible to 
get eflficient and uniform administration of the registry 
laws, especially since the Conservatives were threatening 
to defy these laws. There was much truth in that 
explanation. If the people in a given district were 
inclined to be indifferent and tolerant about the matter of 
registration and suffrage, they would elect a superintend- 
ent who would take their view of the matter. In fact, 
there were several instances of just that sort of thing, 

' In 1870, however, the United States Court decided in the Blair vs. 
Ridgely case that the test oath for the purpose of suffrage was con- 
stitutional. 

- The passage of this registry act was regarded at the time as "a 
triumph second only to the adoption of the new constitution." 



4i6 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Radical 
Successes 
in 1866 
and 1868 



Opposition 
to the 
Radicals in 
1866 and 
1868 



and indeed in some of the districts Democrats were 
elected as superintciidents of registration. In order, 
therefore, to check this tendency which threatened 
Radical control, the registry law of 1868 was passed. 
With the passage of this act the highwater mark of ex- 
treme Radical legislation was reached. 

The enforcement of this law gave occasion to much 
complaint and to a great many charges of oppression 
and dishonesty at the hands of the new superintendents 
of registration. In some of the districts the registration 
was quietly done and seemed fairly satisfactory to those 
who were eligible under the law to register. This was 
particularly true in St. Louis. But in other parts of the 
State, especially in the old Whig counties along the 
Missouri River, there was a great deal of dissatisfaction. 
In Boone County, for example, it was claimed that 3000 
men, including many Union men, were refused registra- 
tion. It is not possible to find out how many men were 
not allowed to register, but the Democratic papers of the 
time claimed that more than 20,000 men who applied for 
registration, answered all the questions, and took the oath 
of loyalty, were not allowed to vote at the next election. 

With such effective electoral machinery established 
and under complete control, it is no wonder the Radicals 
were successful in the elections of 1866 and 1868. But the 
"election of 1868 marks the high tide of their success." 
In the election of 1870 they were overthrown and were 
destined never to recover from the political disaster that 
overtook them. How they lost their power, notwith- 
standing the seemingly almost impregnable position in 
which they had fortified themselves, is worthy of note. 

All during the time the Radicals were in power they had 
to confront a very active opposition. The constitution 
of 1865 had no sooner been adopted than there arose 
protests against its "iniquities," and an agitation was 
begun in favor of amending at least the test oath sections. 
Even some of the Radicals mildly advocated certain 



THE RULE OF THE RADICAL PARTY 417 

immediate amendments, but the real agitation was carried 
on by two other parties, the Conservative Unionists and 
the Democrats. 

The Conservative Unionist party was definitely i. Conserva- 
organized in Missouri early in 1866 — chiefly under the unbnist^ 
leadership of Frank P. Blair.' The Democratic party 1866 
was being brought together in a fashion under such men 
as Lewis Bogy and John S. Phelps, the latter having 
served in the Union army. As both of these parties 
realized that it would be futile to act apart in their 
opposition to the Radicals, the Democrats were induced 
to support the Conservative Unionists in the campaign 
of 1866. But notwithstanding this political combination 
the Radicals won the day, easily electing seven out of the 
nine Congressmen and carrying the legislature two to one. 

The success of the Radicals in these elections was due 
largely to the manner in which the first registry act was 
carried out, mention of which has already been made. It 
is rather significant that in the spring municipal elections 
which occurred in the State before the registry act was 
passed, the Radicals met with numerous reverses. Local 
issues were practically forgotten in these elections, the 
campaign in each municipality having been waged over 
State issues. But by the time the fall elections were held 
the registry act had been put on the statute book, and 
this explains why the Radical reverses of the spring were 
not repeated in the fall. 

From the defeat which the Conservative Unionist party 2. Demo- 
sufi^ered in 1866 it never recovered, and by the time the ^rats, 1868 
campaign of 1868 occurred its place as a party in opposition 
to the Radicals had been taken by the Democrats, who 
had meanwhile been well reorganized and had entered 
the political field with their own candidates. The success 
which the Democrats had had in electing a Congressman 

' On national issues the Conserv^ative Unionists of Missouri 
supported President Johnson in his contest with Congress over the 
question of reconstruction in the South. 



4i8 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Defeat 
of the Negro 
SufiFrage 
Amendment 






WHO 1*AV TASCBIB 



DEMOCRATIC MEETING. 




NEGRO EftUAim! 

I A.MD COniOREeuSIOMAX. VSUZIPA.. 
W TIOIMS, 

^ and in favor of the payment of the 

1 NATIOMl DEBT 

IN ox%e:e:nba.cics* 

BOOii TIIITIOH, ABROGATION OF THE TEST OATH" AVD SECURIKO TO lU THB 
SUtM of tbe DoiM lh«ir Klgbt< uDdar Iba Peden] CoosljlQliao 

IMitli, 



from Missouri in 1867 to fill an unexpired term, together 
with the success which had attended their party in other 
states in that year, spurred the Missouri Democrats to 
special efforts to win the State in 1868. To their support 

came a great many 
of the Conservative 
Unionists and the old 
line Whigs. But they 
were not yet strong 
enough to overcome 
the Radicals, espe- 
cially since the latter 
had been able to add to 
the strength of their po- 
litical defense through 
the new registry act of 
1868. McClurg, the 
Radical candidate for 
governor, was elected 
over Phelps by a ma- 
jority of more than 
19,000, and Grant car- 
ried the State over 
Seymour in the Presi- 
dential race by a ma- 
jority of more than 
25,000.1 The Radi- 
cals also elected six 
of the nine Congress- 
men and also a majority of the members of the legisla- 
ture. 

The surprising feature of th§ election of 1868 was the 
defeat of the State constitutional amendment enfran- 
chising the negro in Missouri. This amendment was 
submitted by the legislature, but it was defeated by the 

■ Frank P. Blair was Seymour's running mate for Vice President, 
but he was not able to swing Missouri away from Grant. 



P 



at Sherwood's hall, February 22. '68. | 



Facsimile of a Poster used in the 
Campaign of 186S 

Reduced in size. Note the protest against 
granting suffrage to the negro in Missouri. 
From a copy of the original owned by F. M. 
Harrington, Kirksville, Missouri. 



THE RULE OF THE RADICAL PARTY 419 

people by more than 19,000 votes, the opposition coming 
from the Democrats, who voted solidly against it, and 
from a goodly number of Republicans also. The question 
of enfranchising the negroes had been an important issue 
in the State ever since they had been freed in 1865, but 
it was not submitted to the people in the form of a con- 
stitutional amendment more than once. Before it could 
be submitted again, the fifteenth Amendment to the 
Constitution of the United States, which conferred suffrage 
upon the negro practically everywhere in the country, 
was ratified and put into force, and thus the issue was 
settled without any further contest in the State. 

The downfall of the Radicals in 1870 after their signal Downfall of 
successes in 1866 and 1868 was due to a split which took ^^^^1*870 
place in their own ranks. As we have already seen, there 
were from the very first some in the Radical party who 
advocated a change in its policy. But party discipline 
kept the liberal element under control until 1870, when it 
felt compelled to withdraw from the party and consolidate 
about itself all the opposing forces. The leader of the 
seceding Liberals in 1870 was Carl Schurz. He had come 
to St. Louis in 1867 to take a place on the staff of the 
Westliche Post, and because of the influence which he 
came to have with the Germans throughout the State, 
he was soon able to take high rank in the Radical party 
in Missouri. In 1869 he was elected to the United States 
Senate from Missouri.^ 

The issue on which the Radical party split was that of i. Schism 
removing the restrictions of the constitution on the right |^J p^^.^^ " 
of suffrage. The legislature had responded to the pres- over 
sure that was coming from all parts of the State and had " '^^^^ 
submitted to the people in 1870 a series of constitu- 
tional amendments removing all disqualifications from 

1 Other men had a prominent part in the formation of the Liberal 
party in Missouri, among whom were Edward Grosvenor, editor of 
the Missouri Democrat, and Joseph Pulitzer, editor of the St. Louis 
Dispatch. 



420 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

the disfranchised people of the State, and it was therefore 
necessary for the Radicals to declare whether they were 
for or against the adoption of these amendments. When, 
therefore, the Radical state convention met in Jefferson 
City in August, a desperate effort was made to get it to 
indorse the amendments. The struggle came up over 
the adoption of the report of the resolutions committee. 
That report was divided. On the matter of suffrage the 
majority report declared: "That the Republican party 
stands pledged to remove all disqualifications and restric-' 
tions imposed upon the late rebels in the same measure 
as the spirit of disloyalty may die out and as may be con- 
sistent with the safety of the loyal people ; that we con- 
sider the time to have come and that we cordially indorse 
the action of the legislature of Missouri in submitting to 
the qualified voters of the State the amendment removing 
all disqualifications from the disfranchised people of 
Missouri and conferring equal political rights and privileges 
on all classes, and we earnestly recommend them to the 
people for their approval and adoption." On the other 
hand, the minority report declared : " That we are in favor 
of reenfranchising those justly disfranchised for partici- 
pating in the late rebellion as soon as it can be done^with 
safety to the State ; and that we concur in the propriety 
of the legislature having submitted to the whole people 
of the State the question as to whether such time has now 
arrived, upon which question we recognize the right of 
any member of the party to vote his honest convictions." 
At first glimpse there seems to be no difference between 
the two reports. But a close analysis shows that the 
minority report, while not openly opposing the amend- 
ments, "evaded the issue by virtually repeating the prom- 
ise of enfranchisement at some later time"; and that 
the majority report demanded reenfranchisement imme- 
diately. When, therefore, by a vote of 439 to 342, the 
minority report was adopted by the convention, 250 
delegates who favored the majority report withdrew from 



THE RULE OF THE RADICAL PARTY 



421 



it under the leadership of Schurz and nominated a 
Liberal Republican ticket of their own with B. Gratz 
Brown as their candidate for governor.^ The Radicals 
renominated McClurg for governor. 

In the campaign that followed, the Democrats gave 2. AUiance 
the Liberals their hearty support as far as the State ^^'^^'^^'^ 

•^ ^^ Democrats 

ticket was concerned. For Congress and the legislature and 
they nominated practically a full ticket in every district ^''^^'■^•'s 
in the State. The result of _ 

the election justified their 
policy. Brown was elected 
governor over McClurg by 
a majority of nearly 42,000, 
but the Democrats elected 
five Congressmen, the Radi- 
cals winning only three and 
the Liberals two. The legis- 
lature was won by the Demo- 
crats and Liberals. But more 
important than these political 
successes was the adoption of 
several constitutional amend- 
ments, the one abolishing the 

test oath being carried by a vote of 127,000 to 16,000.2 
From this vote it will appear that the majority of the 

^ B. Gratz Brown was bom in Kentucky in 1826. He came to 
St. Louis in 1849 and began the practice of law. He was a member 
of the State legislature from 1852 to 1859 and was looked upon as 
the leader of the Benton men and of the anti-slavery movement in 
Missouri from 1854 to 1859. Brown was strongly opposed to seces- 
sion at the beginning of the war and joined the Republican party in 
1 86 1. He was in command of a regiment of troops when Camp 
Jackson was taken and later commanded a brigade in the Federal 
army. He was a member of the United States Senate from 1863 to 
1867. In 1864 he used all the influence he could command to get an 
emancipation ordinance passed. He was elected governor of Missouri 
in 1870. 

2 The constitution itself authorized the legislature to suspend or 
repeal any part of the sections dealing with the test oath after 




B. Gratz Brown 

Liberal Republican Governor of 
Missouri, 1870-72. 



422 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



3. Passing 
of Drake 
from 
Missouri 
Politics 



Significance 
of Radical 
Rule in 
Missouri 



Radicals voted for the amendment. Inasmuch as the 
negro had been enfranchised through the ratification of the 
fifteenth Amendment of the National Constitution, to con- 
tinue to deprive the Confederate whites of the use of the 
ballot seemed tmnecessary. Undoubtedly the Radicals 
counted on the new negro vote offsetting that of the 
reenfranchised whites, but if they did, they were doomed 
to disappointment. With the abolishing of the test oath 
the bulwark behind which the Radicals had entrenched 
themselves was removed, and they were never able to 
come back again into power. 

With the defeat of the Radicals in 1870 their most 
prominent leader, Drake, passes from the stage as an actor 
in the public affairs of the State. In recognition of his 
services and leadership he had been elected to the United 
States Senate in 1867, but he resigned his seat in that body 
in 187 1 and accepted the appointment of Chief Justice of 
the United States Court of Claims.' In all probability 
no other political leader ever left Missouri poHtics with 
greater unpopularity than did Drake. 

The passing of Drake was "coincident with the end of 
the era of eight years in which the Radical party had been 
in control in Missouri. Under its rule the State had seen 
the war brought to a successful conclusion, the system of 
slavery forever abolished, and the new economic and social 
problems dealt with. There is no question but that Mis- 
souri from 1865 to 1870 grew and prospered. " But Radical 
rule, perhaps beneficial in the beginning, had become 
reactionary and unpopular. Reputed corruption in high 
places, failure to keep abreast with the times, and a tend- 
ency to depend too much upon mere political machinery 
had alienated finally a considerable portion of the Re- 
publican organization. The Radicals had failed to 

January i, 1871, but the legislature preferred to have this matter 
settled by direct vote of the people in advance of that date. 

' Frank P. Blair was elected to fill Drake's unexpired term in thc^ 
Senate. This was his last office, as he died in 1875. 



THE RULE OF THE RADICAL PARTY 423 

recognize that the war was over and that new issues were 
forging to the front. Their failure and final defeat was 
to be expected and was in every sense justified." 

REFERENCES 

Carr, Missouri, ch. xviii. Switzler, "Constitutional Conventions 
of Missouri," 1865-75, in the Missouri Historical Review, January, 
1907, pp. 108-119. The only real authority on the subject dealt 
with in this chapter is a dissertation by Thomas S. Barclay on The 
Origin of the Liberal Republican Movement in Missouri, which he 
recently presented to the Political Science Department of the Uni- 
versity of Missouri in partial fulfillment of the requirements for 
the A.M. degree. This dissertation has been used very exten- 
sively by the author of this book in writing this chapter. As it has 
never been published, it is not available for general use. Mr. Bar- 
clay, however, will publish some articles in the Missouri Historical 
Review for July and October, 1918, in which he will present the main 
conclusions that he has reached in his studies on the subject. 



CHAPTER XXI 

THE RETURN OF THE DEMOCRATS TO POWER IN 
MISSOURI 



Campaign 
of 1872 



I. Coalition 
between the 
Liberal 
Republicans 
and the 
Democrats 



[Historical Setting. — The Presidential Election of 1872.] 

The Liberal Republican party in Missouri had been 
born out of the schism that had arisen in the ranks of 
the Radicals, or Republicans, in 1870. Many thought 
that the split was but temporary and that the Liberals 
would all come back into the regular Republican party 
in the next campaign, but in this they were disappointed. 
Ultimately the Liberal Republican party disappeared, 
but its members became divided between the Demo- 
cratic and the Republican parties, most of them going 
into the Democratic party. How things developed along 
these lines we shall now see. 

As the campaign of 1872 drew near, the leaders of the 
Liberal Republicans and of the Democrats decided to 
renew their alliance of 1870. It was therefore arranged 
to hold the State conventions of these two parties at 
Jefferson City at the same time. They convened there 
on August 21, 1872, occupying two different chambers 
in the capitol. The conventions through conference 
committees kept each other informed of their proceedings. 
By means of these committees it was arranged that the 
Democrats should nominate one of the two Presidential 
electors at large, six of the thirteen district electors, the 
governor, the treasurer, the auditor, the attorney general, 
and the four judges of the supreme court ; and that the 
Liberal Republicans should nominate the other Presi- 
dential elector at large, seven district electors, the lieu- 
tenant governor, the secretary of state and the registrar 

424 



Till-: RETURN OF THE DEMOCRATS TO POWER 425 



of lands. Accordingly each convention in separate session 
made the nominations allotted to it, and afterward the 
whole ticket was ratified by a joint session of the two 
conventions amidst a great deal of excitement and en- 
thusiasm. Under these arrangements Silas Woodson was 
nominated by the Democrats for governor, and Charles 
P. Johnson was nominated by the Liberal Republicans for 
lieutenant governor. 

Meanwhile the Liberal 
Republican movement had 
spread from Missouri into 
other states and had assumed 
national form. It began to 
take this fonn at a gathering 
of the Liberal Republicans of 
Missouri at Jefferson City on 
January 24, 1872, at which 
nearly all of the counties of 
the State were represented. 
Here it was decided to call a 
meeting at Cincinnati on 
May first, to which were 
invited all persons who were 




2. Liberal 
Republican 
National 
Convention 



Silas Woodson 

Governor of Missouri, 1872-74. 



The 



dissatisfied with Grant's ad- ^f ^^°'lf''!^°JT''^-^'^v ^'^'^ 

after the outbreak of the Civil War. 

ministration, especially with 

the way in which it had been handling the Southern 

problems. 

This convention at Cincinnati was in reality nothing 
more than a mass meeting. "Except in a few places the 
Liberal Republicans had no organization and the members 
of the convention were all volunteers." It was found, 
therefore, that some states had but a small number of 
representatives present, while others had a very large 
number. The question of membership in the convention 
proved to be a very difficult one, but it was finally settled 
and the organization of the convention was completed 
by making Senator Schurz of Missouri chairman. The 



426 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

task of drafting a platform and of nominating the Presi- 
dent and the Vice President was then takegi up. The plat- 
form adopted called for "universal amnesty, impartial 
suffrage, local self government, the maintenance of the 
writ of habeas corpus, and civil service refonii." But the 
convention made an unfortunate selection for President. 
The Missourians had come to the convention with the 
determination to secure the nomination of B. Gratz 
Brown, one of the country's leading exponents of the 
Liberal cause. Instead of selecting him, however, the con- 
vention nominated Horace Greeley, who, notwithstand- 
ing his great ability, had but little sympathy with the 
Liberal program. Brown was nominated for Vice Presi- 
dent. Subsequently the Democratic national conven- 
tion adopted the platform and the candidates of the 
Liberal Republican convention. 
3- Victory of In Missouri the coalition between the Liberal Republi- 
in'mssourr ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ Democrats won a very great victory. 
Greeley and Brown carried the State over Grant and 
Wilson by more than 32,000 votes, and Woodson defeated 
Henderson, who had been nominated for governor by 
the regular Republicans, by more than 35,000. However, 
Grant was overwhelmingly reelected, only six or seven 
states having been carried by Greeley. 
Campaign Notwithstanding these successes of the Liberal Re- 

publicans and the Democrats in Missouri in 1870 and 1872, 
the Liberal Republicans were destined to disappear as 
a separate party in the State before 1874, when the next 
State election occurred. This was perhaps the natural 
thing to happen. Two parties in coalition with each 
other cannot long remain as separate parties ; one must 
give way to the other. In this case the Liberal Re- 
pubHcans gave way to the Democrats. Not all, however, 
of the first party went over to the second, for many of 
the Liberals returned to the ranks of the old Republican 
party. 

But it was not until 1876 that the regular Republicans 



of 1874 



THE RETURN OE THE DEMOCRATS TO POWER 427 

entered the political field in Missouri as a separate party, i. People's 
In 1874 they united in Missouri with the Grange in combination 
forming what was known as the People's party or the of the Grange 
Reform party. This new party put out a State ticket with Rgubfjcans 
William Gentry, a prominent farmer and Republican, 
as their candidate for governor. 

The Grange had been founded as a national organiza- 
tion in 1 86 7 for the purpose of enabling the fanners to 
purchase supplies at first hand and thus save for them- 
selves the middlemen's profits. This organization ex- 
cluded from its membership lawyers, merchants, bankers, 
and capitalists. It grew steadily from the start, but a 
very decided impetus was given to its further develop- 
ment by the panic of 1873. This panic had been brought 
on by the wild and excessive speculation that had been 
indulged in after the war. It hit Missouri very hard ; 
many men were thrown out of employment and many 
people lost very heavily from the failure of banks and 
other business enterprises. 

In two years after the panic the membership of the 
Grange was quadrupled, numbering 1,500,000 by the 
year 1875. It was very strong in Missouri, but not so 
strong as in Illinois and Wisconsin. It compelled the 
State government of Missouri to reduce expenditures 
and to introduce a system of regulation for railroads and 
corporations. 

Notwithstanding this combination between the Re- 2. Victory 
publicans and the Grange, the Democrats won the elec- Democrats 
tion of 1874. Hardin, the Democratic candidate for 
governor, led Gentry by a majority of 37,000. The 
Democrats also elected all thirteen of the Congressmen to 
which Missouri was then entitled. It is significant, 
however, that neither Hardin nor Gentry polled as large 
a vote as did Woodson and Henderson in 1872, not- 
withstanding the fact that the population of the State was 
rapidly increasing.^ The explanation for this slump in the 

' Hardin's vote in 1874 was 7000 less than Woodson's in 1872. 



421 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Democratic 
Rule in 
Missouri 
since 1874 



vote in 1874 is that before the election occurred it was 
generally considered that the Democrats would be suc- 
cessful and hence both parties relaxed their efforts some- 
what and did not bring out their full strength at the 
polls. The defeat of the People's party in 1874 had a 
decided reaction upon the strength of the Grange and it 
immediately began to decline. ^ 

For more than 20 years after the victory of 1874 the 
Democrats enjoyed an unbroken series of victories at 

the polls in Missouri over 
their regular opponents, the 
Republicans. In 1894, owing 
to the Republican landslide 
that swept over the whole 
country, the Democrats suf- 
fered their first defeat in 
Missouri after 1874, the Re- 
publicans electing not only 
the state superintendent of 
schools, a supreme court jus- 
tice, and the railroad and 
warehouse commissioner, but 
also a majority of the mem- 
bers of the house of represen- 
tatives. In 1 904 they elected 
the entire State ticket except 
the governor, and in 1908 
The Presidential election in 
both of these years was carried by the Republicans. With 
these exceptions the Democrats have remained in power 
in Missouri from 1874 down to the present time. 

In 1874 the legislature passed an act authorizing the 




Herbert S. Hadley 

Governor of Missouri, 1009-13. 
The first Republican Governor of 
Missouri since 1872. 



they elected the governor.- 



' The Grange still exists as a national and a state organization, 
but it is no longer an institution in politics. 

' Joseph W. Folk was elected governor in 1904 on the Demo- 
cratic ticket, and Herbert S. Hadley was elected governor in 1908 
on the Republican ticket. 



THE RETURN OF THE DEMOCRATS TO POWER 429 

people to vote in November on the proposition as to Constitution 
whether or not a convention should be held to revise '^^ 

and amend the constitution which had been adopted in 
1865. The proposition was carried by a narrow majority 
of 283 votes. The aggregate vote on the question was 
222,315, which was 39,000 below the aggregate vote for 
governor in the same election. A special election was 
held on January 26, 1875, to elect the delegates to this 
convention. Of the 68 delegates elected, 60 were Demo- 
crats, 6 were Republicans, and 2 were Liberal Republi- 
cans. 

The convention met at Jefferson City on May 5 and i- iConstim- 
continued in session until August 2. It proceeded with convention 
its work by appointing a series of committees whose duty 
was to draft different parts of the constitution and sub- 
mit them to the convention for consideration. ^ Among 
these committees were those on the bill of rights, the 
legislative department, the executive department, the 
judicial department, revenue and taxation, and educa- 
tion. 

There was considerable debate over the report of the 
committee on the legislative department. The article 
that was adopted on the basis of this report (Article iv) 
contained a great many regulations as to the method of 
procedure in the passage of bills. Among these were the 
following : 

No law shall be passed but by bill ; no bill, except 
appropriation bills, shall contain more than one subject ; 
all amendments adopted shall be printed with the en- 
grossed bill before its passage ; no bill shall become a 
law unless on its final passage the vote shall be taken in 
yeas and nays ; no law except a general appropriation 
act shall take effect until 90 days after final adjournment, 

' As the Proceedings of the Convention of 1875 ^'"^ still in manu- 
script form and have not been published, it is not possible to discuss 
the work of this convention as fully as that of the conventions of 
1820 and 1865. 



430 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

unless an emergency clause be enacted by a two-thirds 
vote of all the members elected to each house ; and before 
each bill is signed by the presiding officer of each house, 
it shall be read at length within the hearing of the mem- 
bers. 

Considerable debate was occasioned over the question 
of representation and apportionment. There was a 
strong demand that county representation be abandoned 
and that something like equal electoral districts be 
adopted, but such a scheme failed to carry. The two 
previous constitutions had provided for county repre- 
sentation, and the convention of 1875 was unwilling to 
abandon it, not\vithstanding the inequality in popula- 
tion among the various counties. 

In the article dealing with the executive department 
(Article v) the gubernatorial term was lengthened from 
two years to four, and the governor was made ineligible 
to succeed himself.' 

In the article providing for the judicial department 
(Article vi) many new and important provisions were 
enacted, among which were the fixing of the term of the 
supreme court judges at ten years and the creation of the 
St. Louis court of appeals with three judges for a term of 
twelve years.2 All the judges of these courts and of the 
circuit courts were to be elected by the people. 

In the article dealing with revenue and taxation (Article 
x) provision was made that the State tax, exclusive of the 
tax to pay the bonded debt of the State, should not exceed 
twenty cents on a hundred dollars, and should not ex- 
ceed fifteen cents whenever the taxable property of the 
State amounted to over $900,000,000. Moreover, the 
taxing and debt-contracting powers of the legislature 

' In these respects the constitution of 1875 returns to the consti- 
tution of 1820. 

2 Since 1875 two new courts of appeals have been created, one 
at Kansas City and one at Springfield. Each of these courts has a 
bench of three judges. 



'ITll-: RKTURN Ol'" Till': DEMOCRATS TO 1'0WI:R 431 

and of counties, cities, towns, and all other municipali- 
ties were hedged about by effective safeguards and limita- 
tions. 

Provision was made in the article on education (Article 
xi) for the increase and preservation of State and county 




]\IissouRi Counties from 1876 to the Present 

The only change that has been made in the counties of Mis- 
souri since 1861 is the erection of the city of St. Louis into a 
separate county in 1876. 



funds for the maintenance of the public school system. 
Moreover, it was made the duty of the legislature to 
aid and maintain the State university then established 
with its various departments. Separate free public 
schools for the education of negro children were also pro- 
vided for. 

The constitution as drafted by the convention was 
submitted to the people on October 30, and was adopted stitution 



Adoption 
of the Con- 



43- 



HTSTORV OF MISSOURI 



Demands 
for a New 
Constitution 



I . Present 
Constitution 
Too Long 
and Compli- 
cated 



Ijy a vote of 91,205 to i. 4.51 7- It was jnit into effect on 
November 30, 1875.' 

The eonstitution as adopted in i^'js has remained in 
force down to the present. Certain amendments have 
been added to it from time to time, but in its most 
fundamental parts it has remained unchanged. For a 
number of years, however, there have been constant 
demands for a thorough revision of this constitution. 
These demands have come from different sections of the 
State and from different classes of people. At least two 
causes can be given for the rise of these demands. 

In the first place, the Missouri constitution is now con- 
sidered to be too long and complicated. " In order to stand 
the test of time a constitution must be brief. It should 
embrace only the fundamental organization of the govern- 
ment, if it is intended to be permanent, as opposed to 
statutes which require modification and repeal from time 
to time." The National Constitution and the first con- 
stitution of Missouri were framed in accordance with this 
principle. The one contained originally only about 4000 
words, to which have been added about 2000 words in 
the way of amendments ; the other contained only about 
10,000 words. But the present eonstitution of Missouri 
contains about 30,000 words, not counting the amend- 
ments. 

That the constitution of Missouri of 1875 was drawn 
out to such great length was due to the desire of the people 
to put certain matters beyond the power of the legisla- 
ture and other officials to change or do away with. Hence, 
certain tilings that would ordinarily have been provided 



1 Acting under the authority granted by this constitution, the city 
of St. Louis separated itself from St. Louis County in 1876, enlarged 
its territorial limits (it had already annexed the city of Carondelet 
in 1 871), erected itself into an independent municipality, and adopted 
a special charter. This separation of St. Louis from the county is 
the last change that has been made in the county organization of the 
State. See the map on page 431. 



THE RETURN OF THE DEMOCRATS TO POWER 433 

for by legislation were incorporated in the constitution 
where they could not be modified or repealed by the 
general assembly. "The constitution thus became a 
code of laws instead of a fundamental document." 

In the second place, the provisions of the Missouri 2. its 
constitution are too detailed in character, thus giving it i^e^it)i"ty 
an inflexibility that has prevented it from being easily 
adapted to new conditions. When the provisions of a 
constitution are fundamental in character, as in the case 
of the National Constitution, "it is possible to include 
within their scope new needs which arise from time to 
time." Hence the functions of our National Government 
have been greatly increased without any material amend- 
ments to the Constitution. "In our State constitution, 
however, matters are regulated with such detail that 
this is impossible. As new conditions arise, the statutes 
enacted for their regulation will frequently conflict with 
the provisions of the constitution which were adopted 
under entirely different conditions, but which become 
at the present time sources of litigation and obstacles 
to progress." 

The greatest amount of detail in the present constitution 3. Provisions 
is in those sections that deal with taxation and revenue, ^fg^-rding 

laxation 

This is due to the desire that prevailed m 1 8 7 5 to limit and Revenue 
the financial powers of the legislature and of the various 
local governmental bodies. The unfortunate experience 
which the State had had with the building of railroads had 
developed this cautiousness. The constitution of 1820 had 
put very few limitations upon the financial powers of the 
legislature, and that body, as we have seen in a former 
chapter, had incurred before 1861 a debt of more than 
$25,000,000 in behalf of the railroads, which the State was 
forced to pay without any remuneration. Moreover, in 
the "Drake Constitution of 1865," the county courts were 
authorized to issue bonds in behalf of railroads whenever (a) Railroad 
two thirds of the qualified voters should assent thereto. 
Unfortunately the conditions that prevailed during the 



Frauds 



434 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

ten years following the adoption of the "Drake Constitu- 
tion" made possible a great deal of corruption in the coun- 
ties throughout the State. Often the county courts were 
composed of men who could be induced by dishonest 
promoters to submit to the people propositions to issue 
bonds for railroads that were never intended to be built ; 
and as many of the property holders and men of influence in 
these counties were disfranchised on account of the test oath 
of the " Drake Constitution," the bonds were often carried 
through the extensive use of bribery among the very much 
restricted electorate. In some instances the county courts 
were induced to subscribe in behalf of the counties to the 
projected railroads without submitting the proposition 
to the people at all. Bonds to the amount of $15,000,000 
were in this way issued by the counties. This would not 
have been so bad except that the railroads for which 
these bonds had been issued were seldom constructed. 
Sometimes a road would be built for a short distance 
and then the work on it would be completely abandoned. 
Meanwhile the bonds which the different county courts 
had issued to the companies that subsequently failed 
to build the roads came into the hands of ostensibly 
innocent parties who demanded payment. In some 
counties the bonds were paid in full, and in others 
the matter was compromised, whereby the counties paid 
from fifty to eighty per cent of the face value of the 
bonds. In certain counties, however, the payment of 
the bonds either in part or in full was bitterly opposed 
for many years. ^ 

^ The bondholders brought suit in the United States courts against 
the counties that had refused to make payment, and they obtained 
judgments in their favor. But they had a difficult time in getting 
these judgments enforced. The county judges refused in many 
instances to obey the order of the United States courts to le\'y the 
taxes with which to pay the bonds, even though they were im- 
prisoned for their refusal. After long years of controversy, the 
matter has been settled by compromise in most of the counties which 
had resisted the payment of these bonds. 



THE RETURN OF THE DEMOCRATS TO POWER 435 



It was to prevent the repetition of such recklessness 
and fraud in the issuing of bonds as has just been de- 
scribed that caused the convention of 1875 to include in 
the new constitution provisions which forebade the legis- 
lature imposing any debt upon the State in any amount 
exceeding $250,000 for any year, unless two thirds of 
the voters at an election should authorize it to do so, and 
which also prohibited towns and counties from issuing 
bonds for any purpose whatsoever except for the con- 
struction of public improvements. In addition to these 
limitations placed upon the various government authori- 
ties in the State with regard to borrowing money or issuing 
bonds, there were also very strict limitations put upon 
their power to levy taxes. 

Salutary as these limitations were at the time of their 
adoption, they have become somewhat of a restriction 
upon the development of the State as a whole and upon 
that of towns and counties. An agitation has recently 
been started for a new constitution. As yet, however, 
the legislature has shown an unwillingness to call a con- 
stitutional convention. In 191 7 the house passed a 
resolution providing for such a convention, but the senate 
refused to concur. 



(6) Limita- 
tions on 
Taxation 



4. Refusal of 
Legislature 
to Call a 
Constitu- 
tional 
Convention 



REFERENCES 

Harvey, State oj Missouri from Its Territorial Days to 1904, ch. 
xviii. The articles that Mr. Barclay promises for the Missouri His- 
torical Review for July and October, 1918, mentioned in the Refer- 
ences of the preceding chapter, will contain material bearing upon 
this chapter. 



CHAPTER XXII 



THE FREE SILVER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI 



Rise of the 
Free Silver 
Issue 



I. Green- 
back 
Movement 



[Historical Setting. — The Presidential Campaign of 1896.] 

Missouri played an important part in developing the 
sentiment that produced the free silver issue in our na- 
tional politics in 1896. Although this issue was quickly 
laid aside after it had once been definitely formulated, 
it stirred the country perhaps more deeply than has any 
other since the Civil War, and for that reason we are 
justified in giving a little attention here to the part that 
Missouri took in the matter. 

The free silver question was not suddenly formulated 
and thrust upon the American public without warning. 
For more than twenty years the issue had been develop- 
ing. The foundation was laid for it by the greenback 
movement which arose shortly after the Civil War. 
After the resumption of peace and the return of the soldiers 
to the various industries of the country, there came about 
a vast increase in the amount of farm products. At the 
same time the volume of the currency of the country was 
becoming greatly contracted through the effort that 
was being made to stop the use of the greenbacks that 
had been issued during the war. The increase in the 
output of the farms and the contraction in the. volume of 
the currency conspired to reduce prices. As the farmers 
were the first to feel the effects of this depression, they 
began to demand that the government should discontinue 
the retirement of the greenbacks and resume issuing them 
for an indefinite period of time. 

This demand for the continued use of the greenbacks 
gave rise to the Greenback party, which figured in the 

436 



THE FREE SIEVER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI 4,:;/ 

Presidential campaigns of 1S76, jSSo, and 18S4. In none 
of these campaigns did the party succeed in getting a 
single electoral vote, but in iSSo it developed consider- 
able strength in Missouri. Indeed, Missouri was the 
banner Greenback state that year, giving Weaver, the 
Presidential candidate of the party, a larger vote than 
he received in any other state/ and electing four of 
the eight Congressmen that were elected by the Green- 
backers in the country at large. 

Greenbackism subsided in Missouri after 1880, but 2. Populist 
it was revived under the form of Populism in 1892. The Movement 
hard times that overtook the country in the late eigiities 
led to the formation of the National Farmers' Alliance 
in 1890, and this was expanded into the Populist party 
by' 1892. Most of those who still adhered to the green- 
back idea went over to the Populist party in 1892, when 
it adopted most of the ideas of the old Greenback party 
and nominated Weaver, the Greenback candidate of 
1880, for President.- Weaver mustered a following in Mis- 
souri amounting to more than 40,000, but Missouri was 
far from being the banner Populist state. ^ 

Although the Greenback and Populist parties lived 
for only a short time, they reenforced the influences that 
were at work throughout certain sections of the country 
formulating the free silver issue, and in that way they 
acquired a special significance in the history of the politi- 
cal parties in this country. 

The free silver issue began to assimie definite shape 3. Bland 

when on November <, 1877, Richard Parks Bland, Con- Silver Bill, 

. . . 1877 

gressman from Missouri, introduced a bill into the House 

^ Weaver received 35,000 votes in IVlissouri that year. 

2 Weaver carried six states and received 22 electoral votes. 
Kansas was the greatest stronghold of Populism. 

3 The Populists adopted the Greenbackers' ideas of unlimited 
and full legal tender notes, assailed the banks, declared for free silver 
and for the purchase of railroads and telegraph and telephones by 
the government, and demanded loans by the government at low rates 
of interest on the deposits of farm products. 



438 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



4. Sherman 
Act, i8qo 



of Representatives directing the free and unlimited coin- 
age of silver dollars of the weight of 41 2| grains of stand- 
ard silver which were to be legal tender at their nominal 
value for all debts and dues, public and private, except 
when otherwise provided for by contract. This bill 
was to undo "the crime of 1873," that is, the Act passed 

in that year which discon- 
tinued the coinage of the 
silver dollar. Bland had 
been elected to Congress 
in 1872, but he had at- 
tracted no attention until 
he introduced this bill in 
1877. Thereafter he be- 
came a "national charac- 
ter," and the silver ques- 
tion became "an absorbing 
issue in American politics." 
Bland's bill was passed 
by Congress in a modified 
form, so that instead of the 
free and unlimited coinage 
of silver, provision was 
made for the coinage of not 
less than $2,000,000 and not more than $4,000,000 of silver 
of the prescribed weight each month, and in addition 
provision was made that the profit of coinage should 
go into the national treasury instead of to the owners 
of the bullion. President Hayes vetoed the bill, but 
Congress passed it over his veto. 

In spite of the passage of Bland's bill, the price of 
silver continued to fall. To counteract this continued 
decline in the price of silver. Bland tried to get Congress 
to pass his original bill, which provided for free and un- 
limited coinage, but Congress refused to comply with 
his recommendation. Finally Congress passed the Sher- 
man law of i8go, which directed the President to pur- 




RiCHARD Parks Bland 

Congressman from Missouri, 1873-95, 
1807-99. Author of the Bland Silver 
Bill and original leader of the Free 
Silver movement . 



THE FREE SILVER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI 439 

chase 4,500,000 ounces of silver each month at the market 
price and to issue in payment for it treasury notes which 
were to be legal tender and which were to be redeemed 
in gold or silver at the discretion of the Secretary of 
the Treasury. This law was repealed in 1893, doubtless 
because of the panic that occurred that year. 

By this time the free silver issue was becoming a party 5. Formula- 
issue. When Bland first introduced his measure in 1877, ^lonof the 
it was supported by Democrats and Republicans alike ; 
it was by no means thought of as a partisan matter. 
But the Sherman law was enacted in 1890 by a Republican 
Congress, and was repealed in 1893 by a Democratic 
Congress. Free silver was by this time becoming a politi- 
cal issue. There was, however, considerable uncertainty 
in 1894 as to which of the parties would become the free 
silver party. 

Notwithstanding Bland's prominence in Missouri and Free Silver 
the nation, he found a great deal of opposition to his j^^ssouri 
free silver notions among the Democrats of Missouri. 
This showed itself at the Democratic State convention 
in 1894. Ex-Governor Francis led the faction that 
opposed Bland and succeeded in modifying the State 
platform so that although the free coinage of silver was i. Campaign 
demanded, the demand was not so strong as Bland had ^ ' ^^ 
wanted it. Moreover, there was no mention of sixteen 
to one in the platform, but there was a more or less 
ambiguous statement that gold and silver should be 
coined at such a ratio as would maintain the two metals 
in circulation. 

The election of 1894 was very disastrous for the Demo- 
crats in Missouri as well as in the country at large. Of 
the fifteen Congressmen from Missouri, the Democrats 
elected only five, whereas in 1892 they had elected thir- 
teen. Bland was among the Democrats who were de- 
feated. The Republicans not only elected ten Congress- 
men but they also elected the State ticket for that 
year, including the state superintendent of schools, a 



440 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



2. Pertle 
Springs 
Convention, 
189s 



3. Bland 
a Candidate 
for the 
Presidency 



supreme court judge, and a railroad and warehouse com- 
missioner. 

Notwithstanding his failure to get the State Demo- 
cratic convention to endorse his free silver program in full 
in 1894, Bland succeeded in swinging the party into line 
with him by the time the next election was held. The 
means employed in effecting this was the holding of a 
State convention at Pertle Springs in August, 1895. 
It was decidedly unusual to hold such a convention in an 
"off year," but Bland was determined to get the majority 
of the Democratic party behind him, and to have Mis- 
souri lead in nation-wide free silver propaganda. 

Accordingly the Pertle Springs convention was held 
on August 6, 1895, with Bland presiding. After con- 
siderable debate, the convention passed a series of resolu- 
tions demanding the free coinage of silver at the ratio 
of sixteen to one without waiting for the action and .ap- 
proval of any other nation. It also increased the size 
of the State committee by adding nineteen more members 
to the original fifteen, thus securing to the free silver 
element an undoubted control of the State committee. 
This committee was instructed to call the State Demo- 
cratic convention to elect delegates to the national con- 
vention not later than April, 1896. The object of hold- 
ing the State convention at least three months in advance 
of the national convention was to sound the keynote 
of the campaign for the other democratic State gatherings 
in the West and South. ^ 

Bland's program was carried out to the letter. The 
State convention was held in Sedalia on April 15, 1896, 
and it unhesitatingly declared for the free and unlimited 
coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one. It also 
nominated Bland for President, As was planned, most 
of the States in the southern and western parts of the 

' On February 29, 1896, the gold Democrats met at St. Louis 
and protested against the program of the free silver element in the 
party. 



THE FREE SILVER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI 441 

country took their cue from the Missouri convention 
and likewise declared for free silver. Doubtless the 
free silver Republicans were encouraged by the impetus 
that Missouri had given to the free silver movement to 
withdraw from the Republican convention at St. Louis 
in June when that convention declined to insert a free 
silver plank into its platfomi. Bland, however, was 
defeated for the nomination of the Presidency in the 
Democratic convention held in Chicago in July, notwith- 
standing the lead he maintained over all other candidates 
on the first three ballots. On the sixth ballot William 
Jennings Bryan of Nebraska, who had captivated the con- 
vention with his "cross of gold speech," was nominated. 

Although the Missouri Democrats were greatly dis- 4. Campaign 
appointed that Bland had not received the nomination, °^ ^^^^ 
they rallied in great strength to Bryan, giving him more 
than 363,000 votes, nearly 60,000 more than McKinley 
received.^ The gold Democrats proved to be fewer in 
number than was expected, as there were only 2,355 votes 
cast for Palmer. Doubtless many of them voted for 
McKinley instead of the candidate of their own faction. 

REFERENCES 

Byars, Richard Parks Bland. A very elaborate biography of this 
distinguished Missourian. Harvey, The State of Missouri from Its 
Territorial Days to IQ04, ch. xx. 

^ Bryan's popularity in Missouri declined considerably during the 
Presidential campaign of 1900, his plurality over McKinley amount- 
ing to only 38,000 as compared with 60,000 in 1896. In the cam- 
paign of 1908 he failed to carry the State against Taft by less than 
1000 votes. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

RECENT ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN 
MISSOURI 

[Historical Setting. — Recent Economic and Social Develop- 
ment in the United States.] 

Under the heading of this chapter many things might 
very profitably be discussed, but the limitations of this 
book compel us to confine ourselves to a few topics. 




Map Showing the Classification of the States According to 
Increase in Population from 1900 to 1910 

Those that have been chosen for discussion are : the 
growth in population of the State ; the development of 
its industries and wealth ; its indebtedness ; its educa- 
tional institutions ; and the prohibition movement within 
the State. They will be taken up in the order named. 

442 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 



443 



I. Growth of Population 

The population of the State, according to the census of 
1910, was 3,293,335. In 1810, when the first census was 
taken in what is now Missouri, it was only 20,845. Dur- 
ing the one hundred years intervening between these 
two dates, there was a continuous growth in population 
decade by decade. At times the growth was very large, 
especially in the early period. At other times it was 
relatively small, particularly during the decade between 
1900 and 1910. The following table shows the popula- 
tion from time to time, the percentage of growth, and 
the rank of Missouri among the states of the Union. 



Rate of 
Increase of 
Population 
from 1810 
to 1910 



Year 


Population 


Percentage of 
Growth 


Rank among 
THE States 


1810 


20,845 


— 


23 


1820 


66,586 


230 


23 


1830 


140,455 


112 


21 


1840 


383,702 


173 


16 


1850 


682,044 


78 


13 


i860 


1,182,012 


70 


8 


1870 


1,721,295 


45 


5 


1880 


2,168,380 


24 


5 


1890 


2,679,184 


23 


5 


1900 


3,106,065 


16 


5 


I910 


3,293,335 


6 


7 



It will be noted from this table that the rate of in- 
crease in the population of the State has steadily declined 
since 1840, and that between 1900 and 19 10 it was less than 
ten per cent.^ This decline after 1880 was due largely to 
the fact that all the good government lands had been en- 
tered by that time, so that farmers wanting cheap lands 

^ There were ten states whose increase in population was less 
than ten per cent during the decade from 1900 to 1910. They were 
Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, Delaware, Vermont, 
New Hampshire, Maine, and Missouri. vSee map on page 442. 



444 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



were compelled to go farther west and northwest. The 
increase in population which Missouri has enjoyed since 
1880 has been chiefly in her cities. St. Louis is now the 
fourth city in the Union, Kansas City the twentieth, 
and St. Joseph the sixtieth.^ 

It will also be noted from this table that as early as 
1870 Missouri ranked fifth in the nation in population. 










?i#B& 




^" ,>mM&r^'ikr-4^:.^m'^^ 



Rank of 
Missouri in 
Population 
in the 
Nation 



Topographical \'iew of Kaxsas City about 1875 

This is the more remarkable because in i860 she ranked 
only eighth, and because during the first half of the 
decade between i860 and 1870 there was a decided fall- 
ing off in the population of the State, owing to the great 
number that were killed in the war and to the removal 
of a great many others from the State for safety. This 
loss was, however, more than made up during the latter 
half of that decade, so that the net gain for the decade 

1 New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia rank above St. Louis in 
the order named. The population of St. Louis in 1910 was 687,029 ; 
of Kansas City, 248,381 ; of St. Joseph, 77,403. St. Joseph in- 
creased her population by 97 per cent between 1890 and 1900. 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 445 

was nearly 45 per cent. Many a Union soldier from 
Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio who had served in Missouri 
during the war came back to settle after peace was de- 
clared. Moreover, large numbers of people were in- 
duced to move to Missouri after the war through the 
special efforts of the immigration bureau, and many more 
came to the State in the general westward movement 
that set in after 1865. 

Missouri was able to hold fifth place among the states 
of the Union in population from 1870 to 1910, after which 
she dropped back to seventh. New York, Pennsylvania, 
Illinois, Ohio, Texas, and Massachusetts now (19 18) 
rank ahead of Missouri in the order named. There is 
little likelihood of its ever recovering its position as fifth. 

2. Development of Industries and Wealth 

Missouri is primarily an agricultural state. Of the Agriculture 
44,000,000 acres lying within its borders, 34,600,000 make 
up the 277,244 farms which the State is said to have; 
but of these 34,600,000 acres only about 24,600,000 are 
under cultivation. In other words, about 10,000,000 
acres included within our farms either are unworked or 
are used for rough pasturage. In addition there are 
about 4,000,000 acres as yet unsettled.^ 

Notwithstanding the immense amount of land that is 
as yet uncultivated, Missouri ranks first among the 
states of the Union in its annual poultry products, second 
in mules, third in corn, and seventh in wheat. When 
every available acre of land in the State is properly tilled, 
the annual output of corn, wheat, oats, hay, and similar 
staples will, it is estimated, be increased more than 60 
per cent, besides the great gains that will be made in the 
production of vegetables, fruit, dairy products, live stock, 

^ In twenty counties more than 95 per cent of the total land area 
is included in the farms of those counties, while in only six counties 
is the farming land from 20 to 40 per cent of the total area, and in none 
is it less than 20 per cent. 



446 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Mining 



Manufac- 
tures and 
Commerce 



honey, wool, and other farm commodities. "What Mis- 
souri could do if it was divided up into small farms rang- 
ing from forty to one hundred acres and each worked in- 
tensively, would be almost beyond belief to anyone who 
has never cultivated on a scientific scale." ^ 

The average value per acre of the farms in Missouri 
in 19 1 7 was $41.80, having doubled in less than ten 
years.2 In three counties (St. Louis, Jackson, and 
Buchanan) the average value exceeds $100 per acre. In 
only three counties (Taney, Ozark, and Shannon) is the 
average value less than $10 per acre. The total value of 
the farms of the State is $1,445,982,389, and including 
the buildings, implements, machinery, and domestic ani- 
mals used in the cultivation of the farms, it rises to more 
than $2,000,000,000. 

But Missouri is not merely an agricultural state. It 
takes high rank in other industries. In mining and 
minerals it is first in zinc, lead, cadmium, tripoli, and 
barytes, fourth in mineral paints, fifth in the manufac- 
ture of lime, seventh in clay products, Portland cement, 
sand and gravel, and ninth in building stone. 

Missouri is also rising rapidly in the realm of manu- 
factures and commerce. She maintains high rank in 
the production of boots and shoes, tobacco, malt liquors, 
street and railway cars, brick and tiling, canned goods, 
pearl buttons, walnut lumber, flour, feed and meal, pack- 
ing house products, railroad ties, printing, clothing, 
drugs and chemicals, and bakery and dairy products. 



1 Of Missouri's 277,244 farms only 74,178 are from 50 to 99 acres 
in size. The following table classifying the farms of the State accord- 



mg to size IS suggestive : 






Under 3 acres . . . 455 


100 to 174 acres . . 


. 80,020 


3 to 9 acres . r- . . 8,561 


175 to 259 acres . . 


• 32,109 


10 to 19 acres . . . 10,740 


260 to 499 acres . . 


. 19,812 


20 to 49 acres . . . 47,398 


500 to 999 acres . . 


• 3,427 


50 to 99 acres . . . 74,178 


1000 acres and over . 


544 


2 In 1890 it was only $20.46. 







ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 447 

In the boot and shoe and the tobacco trades, St. Louis 
has advanced very rapidly in recent years, so that it 
stands to-day as one of the country's greatest centers of 
these industries. We have already seen in another chap- 
ter how St. Louis has come to be the greatest fur market 
in the world. Kansas City and St. Joseph are rising 
rapidly in the packing industry. 

Shortly after the Civil War Chicago began to forge 
ahead of St. Louis as a commercial center, because of 
the superior transportation advantages which the Great 
Lakes and the railroads afforded, giving her connection 
with points in all directions, especially to the west and 
northwest, and to the east and northeast. But in recent ' 
years St. Louis and Kansas City have been able to de- 
velop commercially the vast stretch of territory that lies 
to the southwest, and they are gaining rapidly under the 
influence of this trade. ^ 

The development of the wealth of the State since the Taxable 
Civil War may be seen from the following table showing 
the taxable wealth by decades from i860. This taxable 
wealth includes real estate, personal property, railroads 
and bridges, and telephone and telegraph properties. 

i860 $296,522,806 

1870 504,255,855 

1880 527,993,520 

1890 756,283,894 

1900 1,001,766,464 

1910 1,464,685,422 

1916 1,856,885,145 

It is to be borne in mind that the actual wealth of the 
State is several times what is set down here as its taxable 
wealth. In all probability the amount for each decade 
should be multiplied by three or four to get approximately 
the valuation of the actual wealth in -the State. 

^ The Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in St. Louis in 1904 
gave the State a great opportunity to exhibit its economic and indus- 
trial resources to the world at large. 



Wealth 



448 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

3. Indebtedness 

State When Missouri entered the Union in 182 1 she had no 

Debt indebtedness hanging over her, but by 1829 it was neces- 

sary to borrow $70,000 to redeem the outstanding audi- 
tor's warrants and the loan office certificates.^ In 1837 
the State issued its first bonds so that it might be able 
to take stock in the Bank of the State of Missouri, which 
was chartered that year. Later other bonds were issued 
for the building of a capitol, for making internal im- 
provements, for building a tobacco warehouse in St. 
Louis, for waging war against Iowa, the Mormons, and 
the Indians,- and for paying the accrued interest on 
bonds. By 1846 the public debt of the State amounted to 
$957,261. 

In the fifties and sixties the State had piled up an 
enormous debt for herself in attempting to help the 
railroads, an account of which has been given in Chapter 
IX. This added $23,701,000 to the State indebtedness, 
which was further increased during the Civil War by 
various war expenditures amounting to $8,464,275, most 
of which, however, was in the form of floating debts. 
The total debt of the State in 1865 was $36,094,908, 
of which $24,754,000 was bonded and $11,340,908 float- 
ing. 

By careful economy, amounting sometimes to parsi- 
mony, the State succeeded in canceling the last vestige 
of this debt in 1905. A new debt, however, was in- 
curred in 191 2, to the amount of $3,500,000, for the pur 

1 Missouri established loan offices in 1821, and authorized them 
to issue certificates to the amount of $200,000 with mortgages on 
real estate or personal property as security. The scheme did not 
succeed, owing to the manner in which the original intention of these 
offices was diverted. Loan offices were therefore soon abolished. 

2 fhg ^ar with Iowa was over the boundary between that state 
and Missouri. The troubles with the Mormons arose from various 
causes and led to their expulsion from the State in 1839. This 
matter is fully discussed in Chapter X. 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 



449 




450 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Certificates 
of Indebted- 
ness 



I. Origin of 
the State 
School and 
Seminary 
Funds 



2. Invest- 
ment of these 
Funds 



pose of rebuilding the capitol, which had been burned in 
February, igii.^ 

In addition to this recently incurred bonded debt, 
the State school fund and the seminary fund of Missouri 
are held in the form of State certificates of indebtedness 
and are therefore a part of the State debt upon which 
Missouri pays annually a certain rate of interest. The 
first of these funds amounted in 191 7 to $3,159,281, and 
the second to $1,276,839. The income which the State 
pays to itself on the school fund certificate, together 
with one third of the general revenue of the State, is 
apportioned annually by the state superintendent to the 
counties and to the city of St. Louis, according to certain 
rules governing the apportionment ; while that which is 
received on the seminary certificate is used for the sup- 
port of the State University. How the State came to 
acquire such a debt will be briefly outlined here. 

The origin of the State school fund and the seminary 
fund is to be found in the grants of land made by the 
National Government to Missouri at the time of her ad- 
mission into the Union. According to the Enabling 
Act of 1820, the new State was given for its use all the 
salt springs within its borders, not exceeding twelve in 
nimiber, with six sections of land adjoining each. It was 
decided by the legislature to put the proceeds of the 
sale of this land into the school fund of the State, which 
the legislature had started in 1837 when it set aside for 
that purpose the share that Missouri had received from 
the distribution of the surplus funds in the national 
treasury the year before. 

By October i, 1842, the State school fund amounted 
to $575,667, all of which was invested in the stock of the 
Bank of the State of Missouri, which had been chartered 
by the legislature in 1837. On the whole, this form of 
investment was never very satisfactory, as the dividends 

1 The bonded indebtedness of the counties amounted to $5,000,000 
in 1 9 10, and that of the cities to 130,000,000. 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 451 

from the bank were not paid regularly, and there was 
great fluctuation in the rate even when the dividends were 
paid. The bank stock which was held by the school 
fund was therefore sold in March, 1866, to Captain J. B. 
Eads, the sale price amounting to $718,235. Although 
the stock sold at a slight premiirm, it was paid for in the 
bonds of the State, so that while the transaction reduced 
the State debt, it did so by using up most of the school 
fund. In 1866 all that was left of this fund was $153,389. 

In that year, however, Missouri was reimbursed to the 
amount of $7,000,000 by the National Government for 
the expenditures it had made in enrolling, maintaining, 
and equipping the militia during the Civil War. In 1867 
the legislature decided to appropriate $1,500,000 of this 
amount to be used for the benefit of the public schools, 
and invested it in United States bonds. In addition, 
other investments were made in United States and 
Missouri bonds so that by 1870 the State school fund 
amounted to $1,674,986. 

Meanwhile, nothing had been done to replace in the 
State school fund what had been taken out of it by the 
sale of the stock of the Bank of the State of Missouri. 
In 1872, however, the legislature decided to order the 
auditor to issue a certificate of indebtedness for $900,000 
at six per cent annual interest. This amount was about 
equal to what would have been the sale price of the bank 
stock in 1866 plus the interest on it for six years. In 
this way the State attempted to make up for the diver- 
sion of the greater part of its school fund in 1866. 

In 1875 the State board of education ordered the sale 3. ConsoU 
of the United States bonds that were being held by the 
State for the school fund to the amount of $1,671,600, 
and the money thus realized was invested in Missouri 
bonds. From time to time other sums were added to 
the fund, so that by Januar}^ i, 1 881, it amounted to 
$2,909,792. In that year the legislature passed an act 
consolidating this fund and issuing for it a certificate of 



dation of the 
School Fund 



452 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



4. Constitu- 
tional 
Amend- 
ments, 1902 



Current 
Deficien- 
cies 



indebtedness for the entire amount of the fund, payable 
in thirty years after date, with interest at six per cent. 

In time this transaction created a great deal of con- 
troversy, especially in the first two or three years of this 
century. It was freely asserted that there was no con- 
stitutional authority for what had been done, and there 
was considerable talk about the "looting of the school 
fund." While there was no foundation for the charge of 
looting, there was good reason for doubting whether the 
use of this fund to reduce the debt of the State was con- 
stitutional. In order, therefore, to set at rest all uncer- 
tainty in the matter, a constitutional amendment was 
submitted to the people in 1902, providing for the renewal 
of this certificate of indebtedness for the State school 
fund ; the amendment was adopted. The amount of 
the permanent State school fund in 191 7 was, as has been 
said, $3,159,281. 

At the same time that this amendment regarding the 
State school fund was adopted, another concerning the 
seminary fund was also adopted. This fund, like the 
school fund, had for its origin another grant of land made 
by Congress in the Enabling Act of 1820. By this grant 
Congress donated thirty-six sections of land for the 
establishment and support of the seminary of learning. 
The history of the founding and growth of that institution 
will be traced briefly in another part of this chapter. 
Space will not permit even an outline of the history of 
the seminary fund here, but it should be noted that, like 
the State school fund, the seminary fund had come to 
be invested in Missouri bonds during the seventies, and 
that in 1902 all question as to the constitutionality of 
this investment was removed by the adoption of a con- 
stitutional amendment authorizing the renewal of the 
certificate of indebtedness for the seminary fund. 

For more than ten years there has been a gradual fall- 
ing behind in the finances of the State, owing to the in- 
creased demands on the part of the various State institu- 



War 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 453 

tions in order to carry on their work effectively, and to the 
failure of the legislature to secure adequate funds to meet 
these demands. The matter was brought to a climax 
at the close of the biennial period of 19 15-16, when a 
$2,000,000 deficit had accumulated. Governor Gardner 
thereupon laid the matter before the legislature and suc- 
ceeded in getting such revenue laws passed as will enable 
the State to pay off this deficit in two years and at the 
same time to meet the slightly increased appropriations 
for 191 7-18. 

4. Educational Institutions 

Since the close of the Civil War Missouri has made Education 
considerable progress in the field of education. Although pji^/tg""" 
the State began to establish elementary schools early the Civil 
after its admission into the Union, these institutions 
were very inferior at the time the war broke out. This 
was due largely to the lack of funds with which to sup- 
port them.^ Public education was not generally popular 
in Missouri at that time, notwithstanding the fact that 
the constitution of the State declared that "schools 
should be forever encouraged." Most people favored 
academies or parochial schools which were maintained 
by the private enterprise of individuals or by the church. 
It was not so much because of the superior character of 
these private institutions (for most of them were not any 
better than public schools), but because they were pri- 
vate institutions and hence had a restricted patronage 
that they were held in high esteem by most persons 
in Missouri prior to the Civil War. As far as the field 
of secondary education was cultivated at all, it was done 
by these private academies, whose number scarcely ex- 
ceeded two hundred in Missouri in 1850. The academy 

1 The sources of income of the pubHc elementary schools were 
at that time about the same as to-day, that is, township funds, county 
funds. State fund, appropriations from the general State revenue, 
and local taxes. But the sum total of income derived from these 
sources was very small and was quite inadequate. 



454 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

was primarily a secondary institution, but it usually of- 
fered instruction in elementary subjects also. 

In the realm of higher education there was even less 
done than in that of secondary education. The State 
University had, it is true, been founded in 1839, but it 
was as yet without financial support from the State and 
had but a handful of students. Although five other mem- 
bers of the present college union of Missouri had been 
chartered by i860, namely, St. Louis University (1832), 
William Jewel College (1849), Westminster College (1853), 
Washington University (1853), and Central College (1855), 
they were, like the State University, very limited in their 
faculties and meager in their equipment.^ Outside of 
mathematics and the classics, the courses of study in all 
these institutions of higher learning were not as advanced 
as those of a good high school of to-day. Moreover, there 
was not a single institution in the State, public or private, 
that gave any attention to the preparation of teachers. 
It is not at all surprising, therefore, that under these 
circumstances the elementary and secondary schools of 
the State, both private and public, were of a very ordi- 
nary character. 
Education During the Civil War all forms of educational effort were 

c^"u Wa^* seriously interfered with. Not only did the State discon- 
tinue making appropriations out of the general revenues 
for the support of public schools and divert the income 
from the State school fund to other purposes, but in most 
communities local school taxes were no longer levied. 
The result was that most of the public schools were closed 
during practically the whole period of the war. Second- 
ary and collegiate institutions, including the University 
and several of the colleges, were forced to suspend either 
for a part or the whole of the period. Serious damage 
was done in many cases to the property of these in- 

' All of these institutions but William Jewel College were actually 
founded before they were chartered, and some of them had been 
operating for several years prior to being granted a charter. 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 455 

stitulions, and various educational projects that were 
about to be inaugurated in i860 had to be abandoned 
altogether. 

From these disastrous effects of the war the educational Education 
system of Missouri was a long time recovering. The ^^^.f^® 
"Drake Constitution" of 1865 contained some very- 
wholesome provisions regarding education, and serious 
efforts were made by State Superintendent Parker to 
rehabilitate the schools throughout the State on the 
basis of these provisions. 

The legislature passed a set of laws in 1867 known as i. Eiemen- 
the "Parker Laws," which provided for a very elaborate ^^^-^ '^^^ 
school system, but which proved "too theoretical and 
centralizing to receive the support of the people." Pub- 
lic education had not been popular in Missouri before the 
war, and the effects of that conflict were to make the 
task of building up popular sentiment in favor of it all 
the more difficult. 

The scheme as outlined by Parker in 1867 failed and 
was superseded in 1874 by another framed by Superin- 
tendent Monteith. This proved to be somewhat more 
acceptable and it has formed the basis of the present 
school system of the State. The essential feature in the 
system that was established in 1874, as compared with 
the one attempted in the Parker laws, was the almost 
complete control which the people of the school dis- 
tricts acquired over their schools. They were authorized 
to select the school directors, determine the length of 
term of the school, levy the taxes for the maintenance of 
the school and for the erection of schoolhouses, and to 
elect the county commissioner, now the county super- 
intendent. Recently efforts have been made to sub- 
stitute for this popular control established in 1874 some 
of the features of the more centralized scheme of Parker 
of 1867. But the scheme of popular control and direc- 
tion as adopted in 1874 has remained essentially un- 
changed down to the present. 



456 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



It is not possible to give here an account, even in mere 
outline, of the history of the school system of the State 
since 1874. On the whole, one may say that the period 
has been marked by steady growth and development. 




JMCKSONI 

■ r 

!c A S S ! i , 

i 1 '; 
f— -I 

I ! H E N HY ! 

! 8* T E S ■' 2 (BtNION 

i > 



: 1 Io»oe|. Jr--T 1 i. ' 1 -tr"'"" „fi'c' 

•JASPER.--- -•iCREENE' .,„J««.C-|,e,,, I^^^^S U... fj' \^ 



r , BiRB, iSTOMI| 

lM<DON«LOj i 



Map of Missouri Showing by Counties the Distribution of 
THE Fifty-one Approved High Schools of the State in Decem- 
ber, 1898 

The figure above or below the name of the county indicates the number of 
approved high schools in that county. Of the 114 counties in the State only 
39 counties had approved high schools at that time. 

We see this first of all in the elementary schools. Not 
only have practically all elementary schools of the towns 
and villages been organized on the graded school basis,' 
but through the consolidation of school districts rural 

^ There were not more than one hundred graded schools in Mis- 
souri in 1878. 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 



457 



schools are beginning to be put on the same basis. The 
old-fashioned, unsanitary, "box car" type of rural school- 
house is rapidly being replaced by buildings that are 
not only sightly but also modern in their architectural 



,2. ' 2 ; L J ^ ' ' 1 ICLAR 

* i 'mNTH,! i'i ^(S<<l.ll»»"iAOAlR ; 2 ( 

V r°"'"r~'ioJe«i.-'-,'--v-i — -f 




„ * ~'.*"* ^AUORAIN \ i2-- 

(ThowapO.' 3 \ f ^ A — ,— 2 

^/BOOIie.'-^--l2 ^iUNCOLN 

t'cALLAwAY; i^ j ■V-.j-..'" 



4- JHEN R 

iBATrs! S 

2 

••-iST.cTAIR 



'VER 



^ l___ _1 . I ! . ^' -PULASKI; ; 1.—-, • 



i -CEDAR ^ 2 \,^i^,; I ' i-' 

- . ^^ , Polk ! jlacleoe'i 




i 2. iLAwACMce: » i '- 1 i 3:, 

r'T'i ' L:::;'2"~T— ^ ! — n ;"" 

INEVWTON • l"'"'S"">! OOUCUA S I 2 i ICaUt 

i I ; ' "i ^ ' JMoweuJ ^--T 

I , BARRY <?''"'". I '■ ' ! ' ' 

:H«0ONA1d'. I ' 1 ITAN E Y • ^'^ "^ ** i I.OBtOON l""''- 



Map of Missouri Showing by Counties the Distribution of 
THE 236 First Class High Schools and the 93 Second Class High 
Schools in the State on January i, 191 7 

Sixteen counties were at that time without any first class high schools. 

Nine counties were without either first or second class high schools. 

Two counties were without first, second, or third class high schools. 

The figure above the name of the county indicates the number of first class 
high schools in that county ; the figure below the name, the number of second 
class high schools in that county. 



arrangement, thanks to the vigorous campaign for better 
rural schoolhouses that was begun by John R. Kirk 
while he was state superintendent of schools from 1895 
to 1899. Moreover, many of the rural schools are be- 



458 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

ginning to acquire equipment for work that would not 
have been dreamed of by town schools twenty-five years 
ago. 
2. High We see evidences also of great improvement in the high 

Schools schools of the State. As a matter of fact, the public high 

school had not yet come into existence in the State by 
1874, except in the large cities such as St. Louis, Kansas 
City, St. Joseph, and the like. In 191 7 there were in 
Missouri 236 first class high schools, 93 second class, 
and 206 third class, besides 118 unclassified schools, 
many of which are strenuously striving to become classi- 
fied.^ Among these high schools are a number of rural 
township high schools which have been made possible 
by the consolidation of rural school districts. Many of 
the city high schools, some of which are classified, 
are beautifully housed and are equipped with excellent 
apparatus and appliances.- A great improvement in 
the personnel of the public school teachers is also notice- 
able. The requirements for the certification of teachers 
have been raised from time to time, especially in recent 
years, and notwithstanding the fact that their salaries 
have not increased in proportion to the additional re- 
quirements for certification, the teachers have very nobly 
responded to the demands that have been made upon 
them. 

If space would permit, considerable attention might be 
given to such recent matters as the establishment of 
the system of county supervision of schools, the granting 
of special State aid to weak school districts, the lengthen- 
ing of the term of school, the compulsory attendance 
law, the teacher- training courses, and the like. Each of 

1 There were in 1899 only 27 high schools on the approved list 
of first class high schools, 38 on the list of second class high schools, 
and 65 on the list of third class high schools. 

- It is highly significant that with the improvement of the public 
high schools the private academies have declined, most of them 
having passed completely out of existence. There were only 17 
approved academies operating in the State in 19 16. 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 



459 



these topics is indicative of some advance made by the 
State in education. But while they cannot be discussed 
here, a word or two must be said about the development 
of the higher institutions of learning since the Civil War. 

The University of Missouri was made possible through 3. Univer- 
the grant of 36 sections of land by the National Govern- ^^^Y °^ . 
ment to the State at the time when the people were au- 
thorized to draft a constitution and establish a State gov- 
ernment. The constitution of 1820 provided that the 




University of Missouri, 1874 

The main building in the center was burned in 1892. The president's home 
on the left and the building on the right (now used by the School of Journal- 
ism) are still standing. 

legislature should undertake to improve the lands that 
had thus been given for the support of a University, and 
further provided that it should furnish means for the im- 
provement and permanent security of the funds and en- 
dowments of the University. It was not, however, until 
1839 that the State undertook to make provision for 
the founding of the University, and it was not until 1867 
that it gave the University any direct financial support. 
Between 1839 and 1867 the University depended upon 
the income from the seminary fund and from tuition fees. 
In 1867, however, the legislature appropriated $10,000 
for the rebuilding of the home of the president of the 
University, and further granted to the institution if per 



460 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



cent of the State revenue after deducting 2 5 per cent of 
that revenue for the support of the common schools. 




Main Building of the University of Missouri 

As it appeared before it was destroyed by fire in i8g2. The columns of the 
front portico are still standing on the University campus. They can be seen in 
the next picture of the University. 

From that time to the present the University has received 
regular appropriations from the State. In addition the 

University also re- 
ceives annually a 
regular income from 
the seminary fund, 
which is its per- 
manent endowment, 
and it also receives 
an annual appropri- 
ation from the Na- 
tional Government 
for certain purposes. 
From time to time 
the University has 
enlarged the scope 
of its work until it 
now maintains — be- 
sides the college of 
arts and sciences, and the schools of law, medicine, educa- 
tion, engineering, and journalism — a college of agricultu- 




James S. Rollins 
The father of the University of Missouri. 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 



461 



ral and mechanical arts, and a graduate department. 
There is also a School of Mines and Metallurgy at Rolla 
which, although nominally a part of the State University, 
has recently become virtually a separate institution. The 
influence of the University upon the school system of 




Bird's-eye View of the UNrvTERsiXY of Missouri in 1907 

The columns of the original main building are seen in the center of the 
foreground. In recent years a new quadrangle has been built to the left of 
the one shown in this picture. The new library building stands between the 
two quadrangles. 



Missouri has been most noticeable in raising the standard 
of the high schools. 

The State maintains five normal schools for the 
preparation of teachers for its public schools. Those 
at Kirksville^ and Warrensburg were established in 
1870 and 187 1 respectively, that at Cape Girardeau in 
1873, and those at Springfield and Maryville in 1905. 
From these institutions have come thousands of stu- 
dents who have served the State in every department 

1 The school at Kirksville was founded originally as a private 
normal school by Joseph Baldwin in 1867 and was adopted as a 
State normal school in 1870. 



4. Normal 
Schools 



462 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



of school work, from teaching in the humblest rural 
schools^ to superintendencies of city systems. Within 
the last ten years these normal schools have become 
virtually teachers' colleges, their courses of study for 
the B. S. degree in education requiring 120 semester 
hours or four full years of work beyond the approved 

four- year high school 
course. 
5. Colleges ^ ""^ Besides the Univer- 

sity of Missouri and 
the normal schools 
there are a number 
of institutions in the 
State that are doing 
work beyond the high 
school, eleven of 
which constitute the 
college union. This 
union was formed in 
1893 and was com- 
posed then of only 
seven institutions — 
namely, the Univer- 
sity of Missouri, 
Washington Univer- 
sity, Central College, Westminster College, William 
Jewel College, Drury College, and Missouri Valley 
College. Since then Park College, Tarkio College, Cen- 
tral Wesleyan College, and St. Louis University have 
been admitted into the union. No institution can be- 
come a member of this organization unless it requires of 
its students four years of academic study beyond the 
high school course, has a faculty of at least six teachers 
giving a minimum of nine hours a week to college in- 

1 Lincoln Institute at Jefferson City was established in 1866 for 
the industrial training of negroes and the preparation of teachers 
for negro schools in the State. 




Joseph Baldwin 

Founder of the Kirksville State Normal 
School and of the system of State normal 
schools in Missouri. 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 463 

struction, and has a productive endowment of at least 
$100,000. 

There are also seven junior colleges in the State which 
are doing two years of college work under the supervision 
and approval of the State University. These are Chris- 
tian College, Cottey College, Hardin College, Howard 
Payne College, Lindenwood College, Stephens College, 
and William Woods College, all of which are seminaries 
for women. 

Notwithstanding the advance that has been made in Needed 
the field of education in Missouri since the Civil War, ^^°^^' 
there is considerable room for further improvement. 
In many things Missouri is yet lagging behind. For ex- 
ample, a start has scarcely been made in the consolida- 
tion of the rural and village districts ; but with the 
inauguration of the system of good roads provided for by 
the legislature in 191 7, it is expected that consolidation 
will become more popular than it has ever been before. 
It is also hoped that something can be done to raise 
Missouri from the disgraceful position that it now occupies 
of twentieth in the nation in point of literacy. Four and 
three tenths per cent of its population cannot read and 
write. 

5, Prohibition Movement 

In recent years there has been a notable development Local 
of sentiment throughout the State in favor of the pro- ^j^f^^ ^^ 
hibition of the liquor traffic. In 1887 the first steps 
toward limiting the traffic were taken by the passage of 
a local option law which gave to the people of corporate 
towns of 2500 population or more and to the people of 
the counties outside of such corporate towns the right 
to determine for themselves whether intoxicating liquors 
should be sold in their respective communities or not. 
During the next two or three years many towns and com- 
munities voted themselves " dry " under this law, but in 
a great many instances the elections were declared by the 



464 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



courts to be illegal on technical grounds. For a time 
interest in the local option laws died down, but in the 




"Wet" and "Dry" Map of Missouei, 191 7 

The "dry" counties are white; the "wet" counties are shaded. The 
"wet" towns in "dry" counties are indicated by black dots; the "dry" 
towns in " wet " counties by white dots. 

Of the 114 counties in Missouri, 85 are totally " dry," 14 partially so, and 
IS are totally " wet." The city of St. Louis is " wet." There are 39 cities 
of over 25CX5 papulation that are "dry." There are 16 "wet" cities in 
" dry " counties, and four " dry " cities in " wet " counties. 

The sixteen " wet " towns in " dry " counties are Boonville, Brookfield, 
Carterville, Carthage, Excelsior Springs, Hannibal, Huntsville, Joplin, Kansas 
City, Louisiana, Moberly, Moneti, Palmyra, Sedalia, Springfield, and Webb 
City. The four " dry " cities in " wet " counties are Higginsville, Kirkwood, 
Sikeston, and Webster Groves. 



late nineties it was revived, and county after county 
and town after town voted itself "dry." In 191 7 
more than ninety-six counties and thirty-eight towns of 



ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 465 

more than 2500 population were " dry." It is interesting 
to note the distribution of the " wet " counties as shown 
by the accompanying map. With only two exceptions 
all of them lie along the Missouri and the Mississippi 
rivers. The German element is very large in most of 
these counties. 

The greatest strongholds of the liquor traffic have been County 
in the cities. The rural districts have very easily been ^ ^^ 
captured by the prohibition forces. But many a county 
has gone " dry " while its leading town or towns have re- 
mained " wet " and have thus neutralized in a very decided 
manner the will of the people in the rural parts of the 
county. For example, eleven of the ninety-nine " dry " 
counties contain at the present time (1918) sixteen " wet " 
towns of more than 2 500 inhabitants. A few years ago the 
number of " wet " towns in " dry " counties was still larger 
in proportion. Because of the ill effects that have fol- 
lowed from having " wet " towns in " dry " counties, there 
have been numerous efforts to get the legislature of Mis- 
souri to pass a county unit law that would give each 
county as a whole the right to decide the liquor question 
and take away from the towns of more than 2500 the 
right which they now have of acting independently of the 
counties within which they lie. The legislature finally 
passed such a law in 1 9 1 3 , but before the law could be put 
into operation, it was referred to the people by means of 
a referendimi petition and was defeated at the general 
election in 1914 by a vote of 311,000 to 17.2,000. The 
large vote cast against it was due partly to the habit which 
the people had acquired of voting against all constitu- 
tional amendments and legislative proposals submitted 
to them. 

The constitutional amendment prohibiting the sale Constitu- 
and manufacture of intoxicating liquors throughout the ^gndment 
State has been submitted twice to the people of Missouri 
(19 10 and 19 16) and defeated each time. In 19 10 the vote 
stood 425,406 to 207,281, giving the " wets " a majority 



466 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

of 218,125. In 1916 the vote stood 416,826 to 294,298, 
giving the " wets " a reduced majority of 122,528. From 
all indications the amendment which the legislature of 
191 7 authorized should be voted upon in November, 
19 18, will be adopted by a good sized majority. In 
1 9 16, the amendment was carried in the State outside of 
St. Louis by 5003. It was carried in that year in seventy- 
four counties, including Jackson County,' while in 1900 it 
was carried in only twenty-nine counties. The prohibi- 
tion sentiment has recently grown so fast in the State 
that it seems fairly safe to say that not only will the pro- 
hibition amendment to the State constitution be adopted 
by the people in 1918 by a good majority, but that the 
legislature will approve in 19 19 a similar amendment to 
the National Constitution which Congress has recently 
submitted to the states for their consideration. 

REFERENCES 

Statistics on Population, Industries, etc. — Consult the Blue 
Books issued by the Secretary of State and the Red Books issued by 
the Bureau of Labor. 

Education — Phillips, History of Education in Missouri. A very 
unsatisfactory book but the only thing that has been written on the 
subject. Violette, History of the First District Normal School, 
Kirksville, Missouri. In the first chapters an account is given of 
the creation of a system of State normal schools in Missouri. Consult 
the various Reports of the State Superintendent of Schools. 

1 The vote in Jackson County was 38,419 for, 34,473 against. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 

General Works 

(Starred books are out of print.) 

Carr, Lucien, Missouri, A Bone of Contention, 1899, Houghton 
Mifflin Co. In the American Commonwealth series. The only gen- 
eral work on the history of Missouri above the rank of elementary 
textbooks that is really available to the general public. It is con- 
cerned chiefly with the political phases of the State's history down 
to the adoption of the present constitution in 1875. 

* Davis and Durrie, History of Missouri, 1876, Hall and Co., St. 
Louis. Covers the entire field of Missouri history from earliest 
times to 1876. After 1820 the treatment is by governors' adminis- 
trations. The greater part of the book is, however, given to 
biographical sketches of the subscribers to the book. 

* Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, A Compendium of History 
and Biography for Ready Reference, edited by Howard L. Conrad. 
6 vols., 1901, Southern History Company. Contains a number 
of articles on the history of Missouri and on the resources and the 
activities of the State, interspersed among the biographies of per- 
sons, most of whom are more or less inconsequential. Some of the 
articles on Missouri history are very good ; others are merely com- 
pilations from larger works and are more or less unreliable. 

* Harvey, C. M., The State of Missouri from Its Territorial Days 
to 1904, 1 9 14. This is vol. iv of a series of books entitled "The 
Province and the States," published in commemoration of the 
one hundredth anniversary of the purchase of Louisiana. The 
volumes are devoted to the history of the various states that were 
formed out of the Louisiana territory. 

Shoemaker, F. C, Six Periods of Missouri History. A brief 
article reprinted from the Missouri Historical Review for July, 191 5. 
A very keen analysis of the development of the history of Missouri 
from earliest times to the present. 

*Switzler, W. F., History of Missouri from 1841 to 1S77. 1879, 
Barnes, St. Louis. For a long time the standard work on Missouri 
history. Written by a distinguished citizen of the State, who for 
many years was very prominent in its public affairs. Especially 
valuable for the contemporaneous accounts that it contains. 

* Williams, Walter, The State of Missouri, An Autobiography. 

467 



468 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

Published by the Missouri Commission to the Louisiana Purchase 
Exposition, 1904. A compilation of sketches by competent writers 
on the history, government, and activities of the State. Though 
written as a kind of advertisement for the State, it contains much 
valuable information. 

Special Works 

[Only those titles that have been mentioned in the reference notes at the 
close of the different chapters in this book are included in this bibliographical 
list. All of them are available to the general public. Each book has been 
commented upon in some one of the reference lists. The number of the 
chapter in parenthesis after each title indicates where the comment on that 
particular book may be found.] 

Anderson, Galusha, A Border City in the Civil War. 1908. Little, 
Brown and Co. (Ch. xv) 

Alvord, C. W., The County of Illinois, in the Illinois Historical 
Society Collections, vol. ii. (Ch. i) 

Burgess, John W., The Middle Period, 1817-58. American His- 
tory Series. 1901. Scribners. (Ch. xiv) 

Byars, W. V., An American Commoner, The Life and Times of 
Richard Parks Bland. E. W. Stephens, Columbia, Mo. (Ch. xxi) 

Chittenden, H. M., The American Fur Trade of the Far West. 
3 vols. 1902. Francis P. Harper. (Ch. ix) 

Chittenden, H. M., History of Early Steamboat Navigation on the 
Missouri River. 2 vols. 1903. Francis P. Harper. 

Connelley, W. E., Doniphan's Expedition. 1907. Bryant and 
Douglas, Kansas City. (Ch. viii) 

Coues, Elliott, Forty Years a Fur Trader on the Upper Missouri. 
2 vols. 1898. Francis P. Harper. (Ch. ix) 

Dale, H. C, The Ashley-Smith Explorations and Discovery of a 
Central Route to the Pacific, 1822-29. Arthur H. Clark Co. (Ch. ix) 

Evans, John H., One Hundred Years of Mormonism. 1909. Deseret 
Sunday School Union, Salt Lake City. (Ch. x) 

Fiske, John, Mississippi Valley in the Civil War. 1900. Hough- 
ton Mifflin Co. (Ch. xvi) 

Hosmer, J. K., Short History of the Mississippi Valley. 1901. 
Houghton Mifflin Co. (Ch. i) 

Houck, Louis, History of Missouri from Earliest Explorations and 
Settlements until the Admission of the State into the Union. 3 vols. 
1908. Donnelley and Sons, Chicago. (Ch. i) 

Houck, Louis, Spanish Regime. 2 vols. 1910. Donnelley and 
Sons. (Ch. i) 

Hughes, John T., Doniphan's Expedition. 1914. Government 
Printing Office. Washington. (Ch. viii) 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 469 

Inman, Henry, The Great Salt Lake Trail. Macmillan. (Ch. ix) 

Inman, Henry, The Old Santa Fe Trail. 1899. Cram and Co. 
Topeka. (Ch. ix) 

Jenkins, Paul, The Battle of Westport. 1906. Franklin Hudson 
Publishing Co. Kansas City. (Ch. xviii) 

Jenkins, T. H., Old Bethel Church. The Press, Marble Hill, Mo. 
(Ch. v) 

Kirkpatrick, John E., Timothy Flint, 1780-1840. 191 1. Arthur 
H. Clark Co. (Ch. v) 

Knox, History of Banking in the United States. 1900. Rhoades 
and Co. (Ch. vii) 

Lee, John Doyle, Mormon Menace. 1905. Home Protection 
Publishing Co., N. Y. (Ch. x) 

Linn, William Alexander, The Story of the Mormons from the Date 
of their Origin to I goi. 1902. Macmillan. (Ch. x) 

Maple and Rider, Missouri Baptist Biography. 19 14. Western 
Publishing Co., Kansas City. (Ch. v) 

Meigs, William, Thomas Hart Benton. Lippincott. (Ch. xii) 

Million, John W., State Aid to Railways in Missouri. 1897. 
University of Chicago Press. (Ch. xi) 

Missouri Baptist Centennial, igo6. 1907. E. W. Stephens, 
Columbia, Mo. (Ch. v) 

Mudd, Joseph A., With Porter in Northeast Missouri. 1909. 
National Publishing Co., Washington. (Ch. xviii) 

yicEXroy, ]oh.n. Struggle for Missouri. 1909. National Publish- 
ing Co. (Ch. xv) 

Parkman, Francis, LaSalle and the Discovery of the Great West. 
1904. Little, Brown and Co. (Ch. i) 

Parkman, Francis, Oregon Trail, Lippincott. (Ch. ix) 

Phillips, C. A., History of Education in Missouri. (Ch. xxiii) 

Pittman, Captain Philip, Present State of European Settlements on 
the Mississippi, with a Geographical Description of that River illus- 
trated by Plans and Draughts. Exact reproduction of the London 
edition, 1770. Edited by F. H. Hodder. 1906. Arthur H. Clark 
Co. (Ch. i) 

Roberts, B. H., Missouri Persecutions. 1900. Cannon and Sons, 
Salt Lake City. (Ch. x) 

Robertson, James A., Louisiana under Spain, France, and the 
United States, 176S-180J. 2 vols. 191 1. Arthur H. Clark Co. 

Rogers, Thomas Hart Benton. (Ch. xii) 

Rombauer, Robert J., The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861. 
Nixon-Jones Printing Co. St. Louis. (Ch. xv) 

Roosevelt, Theodore, Thomas Hart Benton. 1886. Houghton 
Mifflin Co. (Ch. xii) 



470 HISTORY OF MISSOURI 

Shoemaker, F. C, Missouri's Struggle for Statehood, 1804-1821. 
1916. Hugh Stephens Printing Co. Jefferson City, Mo. (Ch. vi) 

Smith, Theodore C, Parties and Slavery. Vol. xviii in the series 
edited by Albert Bushnell Hart, and entitled The American Nation, 
A History. Harpers. (Ch. ix) 

Smith, Joseph, History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet. Vol. i of the 
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 1902. 
Deseret News. Salt Lake City. (Ch. x) 

Smith, Joseph and Heman C, History of the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter Day Saints. 4 vols. 191 1. Board of Publication of the 
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (Ch. x) 

Smith, Vida E., Young People's History of the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter Day Saints. 1914. Herald Publishing Co., Lamoni, 
la. (Ch. x) 

Spring, L. W., Kansas. American Commonwealth Series. 1899. 
Houghton Mifflin Co. (Ch. xiv) 

Thwaites, Reuben Gold, Daniel Boone. Appletons. (Ch. iii) 

Thwaites, Reuben Gold, France in America. Vol. vii in the series 
edited by Albert Bushnell Hart, and entitled The American Nation, 
A History. Harpers. (Ch. i) 

Trexler, Harrison A., Slavery in Missouri, 1804-1805. 1914. 
Johns Hopkins Press. (Ch. xiii) 

Violette, History of the First District Normal School, Kirksville, 
Missouri. 1905. Journal Printing Co., Kirksville, Mo. (Ch. 
xxiii) 

Webb, W. L., Battles and Biographies of Missourians or the Civil 
War Period of Our State. 1900. Hudson Kimberley Publishing 
Co., Kansas City. (Ch. xvi) 

Woodward, W. S., Annals of Methodism. 1893. Stephens 
Publishing Co. (Ch. v) 

Periodicals 

Missouri Historical Review. Published quarterly by the Missouri 
Historical Society, Columbia. 

Missouri Historical Society Collections. Published by the Missouri 
Historical Society, St. Louis. 

Mississippi Valley Historical Review. Published quarterly by 
the Mississippi Valley Historical Society. 

Mississippi Valley Historical Society Proceedings. Published an- 
nually by the Mississippi Valley Historical Society. 

Journal of History. Published quarterly by the Board of Publi- 
cation of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day 
Saints, Lamoni, la. 



APPENDIX 



The following tables of Governors of Missouri and of United States Senators from 
Missouri have been adapted from The Official Manual of the State of Missouri for 1913-14, 
Cornelius Roach, Secretary of State. 

Governors of Missouri — 1820 to 1918 



Name 


County 


Elected 


Remarks 


Alexander McNair 


St. Louis 


August, 1820. . . . 


Died March 18, 1826. 


Frederick Bates 


St. Louis 


August, 1824. . . . 


Died August 4, 1825. 


Abraham J. Williams. . . . 


Boone 


Pres. Senate 


Vice, Bates ; died in Columbia, 
December 30, 1839. 


John Miller 


Cooper 


Dec. 8, 1825. . . . 


Special election to fill vacancy. 


John Miller 


Cooper 


August, 1828. . . . 


Died at Florisant, March 18, 
1846. 


Daniel DunkHn 


Washington 


August, 1832. .. . 


Died August 25, 1844. 


Lilburn W. Boggs 


Jackson 


August, 1836. .. . 


Died at Napa Valley, Cal., 
March 14, i860. 


Thomas Reynolds 


Howard 


August, 1840. . . . 


February 9, 1844; committed 
suicide at the mansion. 


M. M. Marmaduke 


Saline 


Lieut.-Gov 


Died March 26, 1864. 


John C. Edwards 


Cole 


August, 1844. . . . 


Died in Stockton, Cal., Sep- 
tember 14, 1888. 


Austin A. King 


Ray 


August, 1848. . . . 


Died April 22, 1870. 


Sterling Price 






Died in St. Louis, September 29, 
1867. 








Trusten Polk 


St. Louis 


August, 1856. . . . 


Elected U. S. Senator, February, 
1857; died April 16, 1876. 








Hancock Jackson 


Randolph 


Lieut.-Gov 


Died in Salem, Ore., March 
19, 1876. 


Robert M. Stewart 


Buchanan 


August, 1857 .... 


To fill vacancy; died Septem- 
ber 21, 1871. 


Claiborne F. Jackson 


SaUne 


August, i860. .. . 


Died in Ark., December, 1862. 


Hamilton R. Gamble 


St. Louis 


Appointed 


By convention, July 31, 1861 ; 
died January 31, 1864. 


Willard P. Hall 


Buchanan 


Lieut.-Gov 


Vice, Gamble ; died November 

2, 1882. 
Died in Washington, D. C, 


Thomas C. Fletcher 


St. Louis 


November, 1864. 








March 25, 1899. 


Joseph W. McClurg 


Camden 


November, 1868. 


Died in Lebanon, December 
2, 1900. 


B. Gratz Brown 


St. Louis 


November, 1870. 


Died at Kirkwood, December 
13, 1885. 


Silas Woodson 


Buchanan 


November, 1872. 


Died November 9, 1896. 


Charles H. Hardin 


Audrain 


November, 1874. 


Died July 29, 1892. 



471 



472 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI 



Name 


County 


Elected 


Remarks 


Johns. Phelps 


Greene 


November, 1876. 


Died November 20, 1886. 


Thos. T. Crittenden 


Johnson 


November, 1880. 


Died May 29, 1909, in Kansas 
City. 


John S. Marmaduke .... 


St. Louis City. . 


November, 1884. 


Died December 28, 1887. 


Albert P. Morehouse. .. . 


Nodaway 


Lieut. -Gov 


Suicide, September 30, 1891. 


David R. Francis 


St. Louis City. . 


November, 1888. 


Now Ambassador to Russia. 


Wm. J. Stone 


Vernon 


November, 1892. 


Elected to U. S. Senate in 
1903; died April 14, 1918. 


Lon V. Stephens 


Cooper 


November, 1896. 


Now in St. Louis. 


Alexander M. Dockery. . 


Daviess 


November, 1900. 


Now Third Asst. P. M. General. 


Joseph W. Folk 


St. Louis 


November, 1904. 


Now in St. Louis. 


Herberts. Hadley 


Jackson 


November, 1908. 


Now in Kansas City. 


ElUott W. Major 


Pike 


November, 191 2 . 


Now in St. Louis. 


Frederick D. Gardner . . 


St. Louis City. . 


November, 1916. 





United States Senators from Missouri 
From 1820 to IQ18 



When 
Elected 



1820. 
1820. 
1824. 
1826. 
1830. 
1832. 
1834. 
1836. 
1838. 
1842. 
1843. 
1844. 
1844. 
1849. 
1851. 
1857. 
1857. 
1861. 
1862. 
1862. 
1863. 
1867. 
1869. 
1870. 



Name 



(i) 
(2) 



(3) 



(4) 



(S) 
(6) 
(7) 
(8) 
(9) 
(10) 

(11) 



David Barton 

Thos. H. Benton... 

David Barton 

Thomas H. Benton 
Alexander Buckner 
Thos. H. Benton. . . 

Lewis F. Linn 

Lewis F. Linn 

Thos. H. Benton. . . 

Lewis F. Linn 

David R. Atchison. 
David R. Atchison. 
Thos. H. Benton. . . 
David R. Atchison. 

Henr>' S. Geyer 

James S. Green. . . . 

Trusten Polk 

Waldo P. Johnson . 

Robert Wilson 

John B. Henderson 
B. Gratz Brown. . . 
Charles D. Drake. . 

Carl Schurz 

Daniel F. Jewett. . . 



Politics 



Democrat . 



Whig 

Democrat. 



Conservative . 
Republican . . . 



Residence 



Howard. 

St. Louis. 

Howard. 

St. Louis. 

Cape Girardeau. 

St. Louis. 

Ste. Genevieve. 

Ste. Genevieve. 

St. Louis. 

Cape Girardeau. 

Platte. 

Platte. 

St. Louis. 

Platte. 

St. Louis. 

Lewis. 

St. Louis. 

St. Clair. 

Andrew. 

Pike. 

St. Louis. 

St. Louis. 

St. Louis. 

St. Louis. 



APPENDIX 



473 



When 
Elected 



Name 



Politics 



Residence 



1871 
1873 
1875 
1877 
1879 
1879 
1881 
1885 
1887 
1891 
1893 
1897 
1899 
1903 
1 90s 
1909 
1911 
1914 
1916 



(12) Francis P. Blair. . . . 

(13) Lewis V. Bogy 

Francis M. Cockrell. 

(14) David H. Armstrong 

(15) James Shields 

Geo. G. Vest 

Francis M. Cockrell. 

Geo. G. Vest 

Francis M. Cockrell. 

Geo. G. Vest 

Francis M. Cockrell. 

Geo. G. Vest 

Francis M. Cockrell. 
William Joel Stone. . 
William Warner .... 
William Joel Stone. . 
James A. Reed 

(16) William Joel Stone. . 

(17) James A. Reed 



Democrat. 



Republican . 
Democrat. . 



St. Louis. 

St. Louis. 

Johnson. 

St. Louis. 

Carroll. 

Pettis. 

Johnson. 

Jackson. 

Johnson. 

Jackson. 

Johnson. 

Jackson. 

Johnson. 

Jefferson City. 

Kansas City. 

Jefferson City. 

Kansas City. 

Jefferson City. 

Kansas City. 



(i) Admitted to seat December, 182 1. 

(2) Admitted to seat December, 1821. 

(3) Appointed to succeed Alexander Buckner, who died of cholera in 1833. 

(4) Died October 3, 1843, and was succeeded by David R. Atchison, who served until 
1855. 

(s) Expelled from the Senate on charges of disloyalty, January 10, 1862. 

(6) Charged with disloyalty and expelled from the Senate January 10, 1862. 

(7) Appointed by Provisional Governor Hall in the absence of Governor Gamble. 

(8) Appointed by Provisional Governor Hall in the absence of Governor Gamble. 

(9) Elected for term ending March 4, 1867. 

(10) Resigned in 1871 to become a judge of the U. S. Court of Claims at Washington, D. C. 

(11) Appointed to succeed Charles D. Drake until meeting of Legislature. 

(12) Elected to serve remainder of term of Charles D. Drake. 

(13) Died September 20, 1877. 

(14) Appointed September 27, 1877, to succeed Lewis V. Bogy until meeting of Legislature. 
(is) Elected January 21, 1879, to serve remainder of term of Lewis V. Bogy, March 4, 1879. 

(16) Died April 14, 1918. 

(17) Term expires March 4, 1923. 



INDEX 



Abolitionists, opposed by Benton, 278; 
laws against, 2g6-2g7 ; Arthur 
Tappan incident, 299 ; not interested 
in colonization of negroes, 300 

Academies, private, prior to Civil 
War, 453 

Acreage of farms, 446, ft. n. i 

Act of Congress, 1803, providing for 
the government of Louisiana Terri- 
tory, 100; 1804, District of Louisi- 
ana, loo-ioi ; 180S, Territory of 
Louisiana, 101-102 ; 181 2, Territory 
of Missouri, 102-103; 1816, for the 
same, 103; 181 2, for schools in 
Missouri, 85; 1912, for steamboat 
navigation on the Missouri, 186; 
1842, for Congressional districts in 
the states, 264; 1846, authorizing 
the President to call for troops for 
the Mexican War, 153 

Adam-ondi-Ahman, Mormon settle- 
ment at, 222 

"Adam's Grave," near Gallatin, 222, 
ft. n. I 

Adjutant General, office of, 123. 

Admission of Missouri into the Union, 
terms of, 134; proclamation of 
President Monroe, 138 

Agricultural implements of early 
French settlers, 58-59 

Agriculture in Missouri, during the 
Spanish period, 57-61 ; just prior 
to the Civil War, 289 ; in recent 
years, 445-446. 

Alabama, influence of, on the constitu- 
tion of Missouri, 126 

Allen, Captain, organizes Mormon 
company for Mexican War, 158, ft. 
n. I 

.\llen. Judge C. H., candidate for 
governor, 265 

Alliance between Spain and France 
against England in 1779, 23 

Amendments to the ' State constitu- 
tion, attempts to pass, in 1820, 131 ; 
relating to banks, 148; defeat of, 



conferring suffrage upon negroes, 
418-419 ; defeat of, prohibiting sale 
and manufacture of Uquor, 465- 
466 ; authorizing certificates of in- 
debtedness, 452 

Amenilments to the National Consti- 
tution, granting slaves freedom, 405 ; 
granting negroes suffrage, 419; 
proposing prohibition, 465 

"American Bottom," 3, ft. n. 2, 36-37 

American Fur Company, 178-179 

American Knights of the State of 
Missouri, 390 

American settlements, early in St. 
Charles District, 42 ; in St. Louis 
District, 43 ; in Ste. Genevieve 
District, 44-45 ; in Cape Girardeau 
District, 48; in New Madrid Dis- 
trict, 51; in Missouri in 1804, 51 

Anderson, Bill, killed during Price's 
Raid, 388, ft. n. i 

Andrew County, resolution of citizens 
of, concerning Nebraska, 305 

" Appeal " and addresses of Benton, 
274-276, 279 

Apprentices, free negroes as, 301 

.A.rea of Missouri, 81, ft. n. i 

Argus, The, newspaper at Platte City, 
310 

Arkansas, part of New Madrid County 
prior to 1813, 78; admitted into 
the Union, 168, ft. n. i 

Arkansas County, divided into three 
counties, 79, ft. n. 2 

Arkansas Territory, creation of, 80, 104 

Army of Zion, march into Clay County, 
215, ft. n. I 

Arpent, 58 

Arrow Rock, tavern at, 199 

Arsenal, Federal, at Liberty, 336 ; 
at St. Louis, 336 

Ashley, WilUam, first lieutenant 
governor, 127-128; connection with 
the Rocky Mountain Fur Com- 
pany, 176; in politics, 177; dis- 
covers South Pass, 198 



475 



476 



INDEX 



Assemblies of negroes, laws regulating, 
295 

Aster, John Jacob, connection with 
American Fur Company, 178 

Astoria, 178, igS 

Atchison, David R., counsel for the 
Mormons, 213; elected to the U. S. 
Senate in 1844, 268; replies to Ben- 
ton's "Appeal," 276; candidate for 
reelection to the Senate, 284, 305, 
ft. n. I ; on the Nebraska question, 
306; leader of the invasions of 
Kansas, 314; draws up manifestoes 
against John Brown, 318 

Atchison, Kansas, founding of, 309 

Atlanta, railroad connection estab- 
lished with St. Louis, 247 

Auditor, office of, 123 

Austin, Moses, journal of, 8, ft. n. i ; 
moves to Missouri, 45-46 

Baldwin, Joseph, founder of the sys- 
tem of State normal schools in Mis- 
souri, 461, ft. n. I 

Bank notes, 219, 261—262. See also 
Paper Money and Currency 

Bank of Missouri, founded in 1817, 
142 ; end of, 142 

Bank of Mormons at Kirtland, 219 

Bank of St. Louis, founded in 1813, 
142, 14s, ft. n. i; end of, 142; new, 
founded in 1857, 148 

Bank of the State of Missouri, founded 
in 1837, 143-14S ; management of, 
14s; effects of panic of 1837 upon, 
146; end of, 149-150; investment 
of State school funds in stock of, 
450 

Banks and Banking in Missouri, 140- 
150, 261-262 

Baptists, in Missouri during territorial 
period, 85-87 ; in St. Louis by 1816, 
88; Mt. Pleasant Association, 112 

Barter in early days in Missouri, 
140-141, 170 

Barton County, invaded by "Jay- 
hawkers," 3ig 

Barton, David, president of the con- 
stitutional convention of 1820, 118; 
part in making the first constitution, 
124-126; elected to U. S. Senate, 
128; share in election of Benton to 
the Senate, 12Q-130; not allowed 
to take his seat in the Senate in 1820, 
133; defeated in 1830, 139; later 



career, 260, ft. n. i ; shares in the 
plan for emancipating slaves, 299 

Bates County, invaded by "Jay- 
hawkers," 319; "Order Number 
Eleven," 382 ; "Burnt District," 384 

Bates, Edward, member of the con- 
stitutional convention of 1820, 118, 
124-126; defeated for Congress in 
1828, 260 

Bates, Frederick, elected governor in 
1824, 258 

Bates, Judge, resigns from the supreme 
court, 413 

Battle of New Orleans, 72-73, 104, ft. 
n. 2; Brazito, 161 ; Sacramento, 162; 
Hawn's Mill, 223; Crooked River, 
223; Carthage, 358-359; Lexing- 
ton, 365-367; Pea Ridge, 371-372; 
Belmont, 373 ; Kirksville, 377 ; In- 
dependence, 378; Lone Jack, 378; 
Helena, 386; Pilot Knob, 386-387; 
Westport, 387-390 

Battles in Missouri during the Civil 
War, 391-392 

Bay, Judge, removed from the Supreme 
Court, 413 

Beattie, Armstrong, founder of the 
first bank at St. Joseph, 149 

Becknell, William, founder of the 
Santa F6 Trail, 187; expedition of, 
190-191 ; profits of, in the Santa 
F6 trade, 197 

Bell, John, candidate for the Presi- 
dency in i860, 323; vote for, in 
Missouri, 325 

Bell, Major, in command of the St. 
Louis Arsenal, 337 

Belmont, battle of, 373 

Bent, Charles, governor of New Mexico, 
157; murder of, 164-165; Santa 
F6 trader, 195 

Benton, Thomas Hart, early Ufe, 250- 
251; service in the War of 1812, 
251; quarrel with Jackson, 251- 
252; early career in St. Louis, 252- 
254; editor of the Enquirer, 254- 
255 ; opposes the Treaty of 1819, 
255, 266, ft. n. I ; elected to the 
U. S. Senate, 1820, 128-130, 256- 
257 ; not allowed to take his seat in 
1820, 133 ; supports Jackson for 
President, 259; leadership in the 
formation of the Jackson Demo- 
cratic party, 259-261 ; opposes Bar- 
ton's reelection, 260; promotes a 



INDEX 



477 



transcontinental railroad, 235 ; ad- 
dresses Doniphan's troops at St. 
Louis, 164; favors "hard" money, 
262 ; espouses the unpopular side 
on certain State issues, 263-265 ; 
opposes the annexation of Texas, 
266-268; introduces a Texas bill, 
266, ft. n. 2; reelected in 1844, 
268; attitude toward the Mexican 
War, 26g ; aspires to become Lieu- 
tenant General, 269 ; attitude to- 
ward the Compromise of 1850, 270- 
271; "Jackson Resolutions," 271- 
274; "Appeal" and addresses, 274- 
276; defeated in 1851, 277-278; 
causes of his overthrow, 278-280; 
slaveholder, 278; opposed to Abo- 
litionists, 278; attitude toward 
slavery, 276-279 ; fearlessness, 280 ; 
fine physique, 280 ; wide knowledge, 
280; political integrity, 281; be- 
lief in the West, 281 ; vanity and 
haughtiness, 281-282 ; lack of po- 
litical tact, 282 ; loss of influence in 
the Senate, 282-283 ; in the House, 
283 ; attempt to reenter the Senate, 
283, 305, ft. n. I ; race for gover- 
norship, 284-285 ; Hterary efforts, 
285 ; death, 285 ; shares in the plan 
for emancipating slaves, 299 ; re- 
lations with Blair, 330, ft. n. i 

Benton County, volunteers from, for 
the Mexican War, 158 

Bent's Fort, 157 

Bethel Baptist Church, 87 

Big Blue, Mormon settlement on, 213- 
214 

Bingham, Colonel, picture of "Order 
Number Eleven," 385, ft. n. i 

Black, Adam, justice of the peace in 
Daviess County, 221 

Blackfeet Indians, oppose fur traders, 
173 

Blair, Frank P., relations with Benton, 
282; leader of the "unconditional 
Union men."' 330; sketch of, 330, 
ft. n. I ; relations with Lyon, 339- 
340; offended by Price-Harney 
Agreement, 351; at the Lyon- Jack- 
son interview, 352-3S4; displeased 
over the appointment of McClellan, 
360; disappointment over Fr6mont, 
361 ; Blair vs. Ridgely case, 415, ft. 
n. I ; leader of the Conservative 
Unionists, 417; candidate for the 



Vice-presidency, 418, ft. n. i ; elected 
to the Senate, 422, ft. n. i 

Blanchette, founder of St. Charles, 39 

Bland, R. P., introduces the Bland 
Silver bill, 437-439; free silver 
program for Missouri, 440-441 ; 
defeated for the nomination for the 
Presidency, 441 

Blue Lodges, 312 

Board of internal improvements, cre- 
ated in 1848, 231 

Board of public works, created in 
1855, 239 

Boatmen's Bank, 147-148 

Boats, 59-60, 95-96, 181-186 

Bogart, Captain, defeated by the 
Mormons, 223 

Boggs, Governor, relations with the 
Mormons, 223; attitude toward the 
construction of railroads, 230 

Bogy, Louis, leader of the Democratic 
party, 417 

Bonded indebtedness, limitations upon, 
435 

Bonds, Capitol, 448; Civil War, 448; 
railroad, granted by the legislature, 
235-240, 448 ; sale of the railroads, 
243-245 ; granted by counties and 
municipalities, 245-246, 433-434 

Book of Mormon, 204-205 

Boone County, created, 79; volun- 
teers from, for the Mexican War, 
158; represented in the first rail- 
road convention in Missouri, 230; 
banner Whig county in the State, 
261 ; representation in the legis- 
lature, 263 ; complaints from, re- 
garding registration, 416 

Boone, Daniel, early life, 62 ; in Ken- 
tucky, 62 ; captured by the Indians, 
47. ft. n. I ; in Missouri, 42, ft. n. 
1,63-64, 68; death, 64 

Boone, Nathan, 64 

Boone's Lick country, first settlements 
in, 67-68; condition during the 
War of 1812, 69; immigration into, 
in 1815-20, 75; jealousy of other 
parts of the State for, 108; Santa 
F6 trade, 199 ; stronghold of the 
Whig party, 261 

Boone's Lick Road, 75, ft. n. i, 202 

Boonville, rise of, 75 ; battle of, 356- 
358 

Boot and shoe industry, 446 

Border troubles, prior to the Civil 



478 



INDEX 



War, 304-321; during the Civil 
War, 381-385 

Boundaries, between Upper and Lower 
Louisiana, 52 ; of the five districts of 
Spanish Louisiana, 39, 42, 44, 46- 
48 ; of Missouri, during the territo- 
rial period, 104 ; as suggested in the 
petitions for statehood, 105-108; 
of Missouri as a State, 109-110; 
Osage boundary line, 105, ft. n. i 

Brazito, battle of, 161 

Breckinridge, nominated for President, 
323; vote for, in Missouri, 325 

Brown, B. Gratz, elected governor, 421 ; 
sketch of, 421, ft. n. i; candidate 
for President, 426; nominated for 
Vice President, 426 

Brown, John, in Kansas, 316-318; in 
Missouri, 320 

Bryan, W. J., nominated for President, 
441; vote for, in Missouri, 441, ft. 
n. I 

Buchanan County, value of land in, 446 

Buel, James T., in command of Federal 
troops at Independence, 378 

Bull boats, 182 

Burlington Railroad. See Hannibal 
and St. Joseph Railroad 

Burns, James M., connection with the 
Kansas invasions, 315 

"Burnt District," 384 

Butler, sack of, 381 

Cabildo, at New Orleans, 52 
Cahokia, location, 3 ; founding of, 5 ; 

fort, 7 ; George Rogers Clark at, 

22-23, 29-30; attempt of Indians 

to capture, 27-28 ; slaves at, 286 
Cairo and Fulton Railroad, grants 

from the legislature to, 236, 239, ft. 

n. I, 240, ft. n. I ; failure to pay 

interest, 241 ; sale of, 244 
Caldwell County, creation of, 217; 

settlement of Mormons in, 217-218; 

representation of, in the legislature, 

263 
Calhoun, J. C, relations with Benton, 

275 ; control of the Democratic 

party, 282-283 
Calhoun Resolutions, 275 
California, ceded to the United States, 

166, 269; relations with Missouri, 

168; discovery of gold in, 201, 204; 

admitted into the Union as a free 

state, 270 



Callaway County, created, 79; volun- 
teers from, for the Mexican War, 
154; represented in the first rail- 
road convention, 230 

Camp Jackson, established by Gover- 
nor Jackson, 338; captured, 339-345 ; 
clash between the Federal troops 
and the citizens, 344-345 ; signifi- 
cance of the capture of, 348-352 

Canada, emigration from, to Illinois, 6 

Canals, none in Missouri, 229; Illi- 
nois and Michigan Canal, 233 

Canoes, 181-182 

Cape Girardeau, early historj-, 47-48 ; 
population in 1799, 52, ft. n. 2; 
establishment of post office at, 94; 
normal school at, 461 

Cape Girardeau County, formed in 
i8t2, 77; resolutions from, on the 
Missouri bill, 112 

Cape Girardeau District, 1763-1803, 
46-48 ; part of New Madrid District, 
48, ft. n. i; pyopulation in 1804, 52, 
ft. n. i; Baptists in, 86; German 
Reformed Church in, 87 ; slaves in, 
286 

Capital, lack of, in early Missouri, 229 

Capital, State, grant of land from 
Congress for, 1 20 ; temporary capi- 
tal at St. Charles, 131-132; perma- 
nent capital at Jefferson City, 131, 
ft. n. I 

Capitol, State, at St. Charles, 131- 
132; at Jefferson City, 133, 135; 
bonds for rebuilding, 449-450 

Caravans, Santa F6, 192-194 

Carolinas, emigration from the, to Mis- 
souri, 24, 288 

Carondelet, founded, 18, ft. n. i ; early 
history of, 42-43 ; population in 
1799, 52, ft. n. 2; incorporated in 
St. Louis, 432, ft. n. I 

Carondelet, Governor, grants to Lori- 
mier, 48 

Carroll County, volunteers from, for the 
Mexican War, 158; Mormons in, 220 

Carthage, battle of, 358-359 

Caruthersville, early history of, 51; 
effects of earthquake on, 76 

Cass County, invaded by "Jay- 
hawkers," 319; "Order Number 
Eleven," 382 ; "Burnt District," 384 

Cathedral of St. Louis, 91-92 

CathoUc Church, in early Illinois 
French settlements, 6; first in St. 



INDEX 



479 



Louis, 17; Spanish restrictions 
favoring, in Louisiana, 37-38, 85 ; 
during the Spanish period, 60-61 ; 
during the territorial period, 89-92 

Centennial celebrations, in Howard 
County, 79 ; in the Methodist 
churches, 88, ft. n. i ; over the 
arrival of Bishop DuBourg in St. 
Louis, 91, ft. n. I ; by the St. Louis 
Republic, 92, ft. n. 2 

Central College, 455, 462 

Centralia massacre, 385, ft. n. 2 

Central Wesleyan College, 462 

Certificates of indebtedness, 450-452 

Cessions of Lidian lands in Missouri, 
70-72 

"Charcoals," 401, ft. n. i 

Chariton, founded, 76; steamboats 
to, 95 

Chariton County, created, 79 ; vol- 
unteers from, for the Mexican War, 
158 

Charlcss, Joseph, founder of the Mis- 
souri Gazette, 92 

Charleston, railroad connections es- 
tablished with St. Louis, 247 

Chicago, growth of, 233 ; railroad con- 
nection established with St. Louis, 
247 ; commercial development of, 
447 

Chihuahua, captured by Doniphan, 
162 

Chouteau, Auguste, begins St. Louis, 15 

Chouteau, Madame, wife of Laclede, 14 

Chouteau, Pierre, 180 

Christian College, 463 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day 
Saints, 206-224. See also Joseph 
Smith and the Mormons 

Churches. See CathoUcs, Protestants, 
and the different denominations 

Cincinnati Commercial Agency in St. 
Louis, 144-146 

Cincinnati, steamboat connection es- 
tablished with St. Louis, 143 ; rail- 
road connections, 246 

Civil War, effects of, on the railroads 
of Missouri, 240-246; elections in 
Missouri in i860, 323-325; attitude 
of the legislature toward secession, 
325-327; provision for a State 
convention, 327-328; elections for 
the convention, 329-331; decision 
of the convention to remain in the 
Union, 331-333; Governor Jackson 



refuses to comply with Lincoln's 
call, 335 ; plans of Jackson to cap- 
ture the Federal arsenals, 336-339; 
capture of Camp Jackson, 339-350; 
Price-Harney agreement, 351-352; 
interview of Jackson and Lyon, 
352-354; mobilization of troops, 
354; Jackson's call for volunteers, 
355 ; movement of Lyon up the 
Missouri, 355 ; battle of Boonville, 
356-358; concentration of State 
guards in the Southwest, 358-360; 
Lyon's campaign around Spring- 
field, 360-363 ; Wilson's Creek, 
363-365 ; Lexington, 365-368 ; dec- 
laration of secession by the legis- 
lature, 369-370; Pea Ridge cam- 
paign, 370-373 ; battle of Belmont, 
373 ; Price enters the Confederate 
service, 374-376; Missouri Brigades 
in the Confederate service, 375-376; 
engagements between the Federals 
and the Confederate recruiting parties 
in Missouri, 376-378; discontent 
in Missouri, 378-381 ; renewal of 
border warfare, 381-385; "Order 
Number Eleven," 382-385 ; Price's 
Raid in 1864, 385-390; number of 
engagements and of men engaged, 
391-392 ; establishment of the pro- 
visional government, 367, 393-395 ; 
problems of the provisional govern- 
ment, 395-401 ; Lincoln and the 
Radicals of Missouri, 401-405 ; 
ordinance for immediate emancipa- 
tion, 405-406; effects on education, 
455 

Clark, General J. B., ordered to raise 
a force against the Mormons, 223 ; 
in command at Boonville, 356 

Clark, George Rogers, expedition of, 
22-23 ; sends a force against the 
Indians after the attack upon St. 
Louis, 29-30; relation with De 
Leyba, 31; soldiers of, foraging in 
Illinois, 35 

Clark, William, territorial governor, 
127 

"Clay banks," 401, ft. n. i 

Clay County, volunteers from, for the 
Mexican War, 154; Mormons mi- 
grate to, 215; Mormon troubles in, 
216-217 

Clay, Henry, Compromise of 1820, 134, 
270-271; candidate for President, 



48o 



INDEX 



258; nominated for the Presideno' 
by the legislature of Missouri, 259 

Clergymen, ineligible for the legislature 
under the constitution of 1820, 122. 
See also Pioneer preachers 

Cleveland, railroad connection with St. 
Louis estabUshed, 247 

Cockrell, F. M., U. S. Senator from 
Missouri, 250, ft. n. i 

Cockrell, Vard, at Lone Jack, 378 

Codes, slave, 292; free negro, 301 

Coinage laws, 437-43Q 

Coins, in early days of Missouri, 141- 
142, 144; in Santa F6 trade, 197; 
from Mexico, 266-267 

Cole County, fort in, 70; creation of, 
80 ; volunteers from, for the Mexican 
War, 154 

Colesville, migration from, to Missouri, 
210 

Colleges of Missouri, 454, 455, 462-463 

Colonization Society, 299-300 

Commercial Company for the Dis- 
covery of the Nations of the Upper 
Missouri, organized, 171 

Committee of public safety, approves 
plan to capture Camp Jackson, 342 ; 
membership of, 342, ft. n. 2 ; cir- 
cular asking for complaints from 
loyaHsts, 351-352; offended by the 
Price-Harney agreement, 351 

Common fields, 41, 57-58, 85 

Commons, 58, 85 

Compromise, Missouri, first, 108-110; 
second, 132-138; of 1850, 270-271 

"Conditional Union men," in the State 
convention, 329-330 

Confederate Congress, admits Missouri 
into the Confederacy, 370 

Confederates, abandon hope of taking 
Missouri out of the Union after Pea 
Ridge, 372; conduct recruiting 
parties in Missouri, 376; bitter 
feelings toward the State militia, 
381 ; number of, from Missouri, 
391-392 

Congress, petition of Mormons to, 
225-226; grants land to the rail- 
roads, 234, 23s, 237 ; defeats Wil- 
mot Proviso, 270; "Jackson Reso- 
lutions," 271-277; passes Kansas- 
Nebraska bill, 306-307 ; refuses ad- 
mission to Kansas, 315-316; de- 
feats compensated abolishment bill, 
399-400; Bland Silver bill, 437- 



439. Sec also Missouri Compromise, 
Admission of Missouri, Compromise 
of 1850 

Congressional restrictions upon slavery, 
112-113 

Connecticut, influence of, upon the 
constitution of 1820, 12O 

Conservatism of Missourians, 228 

Conservatives, rise of, 401 

Conservative Unionists, national con- 
vention, 323 ; organized in Missouri 
in 1866, 417; defeated in 1866, 417; 
cooperation with the Democrats in 
1868, 418 

Constitutional convention. State and 
National, 1775-1820, 119 

Constitutional convention of 1820, 
authorized by Congress, 108-iog 
election of delegates, 115-116 
personnel of delegates, 116-118 
work of the convention, 11 8-1 21 
adoption of the constitution, 119, 
127; committees of, 125-126; Ben- 
ton's influence upon, 256 

Constitutional convention of 1845, re- 
jects abolition petitions, 298 

Constitutional convention of 1865, 
authorized by the State convention, 
405 ; passage of the Emancipation 
ordinance, 405-406 ; debate on 
suffrage, 408 ; on the disqualifica- 
tion of voters, 408-410 

Constitutional convention of 1875, 
election of delegates to, 429; pro- 
ceedings of, 429-432 

Constitution of 1820, adopted by the 
constitutional convention, iig; pre- 
amble, 121; boundaries of, 122; 
frame of government, 122-124; 
declaration of rights, 124; schedule, 
124; authorship of, 124-125; sources 
of, 126-127; objectionable clauses 
about free negroes, 132-136; article 
on banks, 144-145 ; provisions re- 
garding emancipation, 256; regard- 
ing slaverj-, 291-293 ; powers regard- 
ing public education, 453 ; attempt 
to revise in 1845, 264 

Constitution of 1845, defeated, 264 

Constitution of .1865, emancipation 
ordinance, 405-406; qualifications 
for suffrage, for the professions, and 
for office-holding, 407-411; powers 
regarding education, 455^45^; adop- 
tion, 411-412 



INDEX 



481 



Constitution of 1875, provisions 
concerning loans, 345; concerning 
the legislature, 429-430; executive, 
430; judiciary, 430; revenue and 
taxes, 430; education, 431; adop- 
tion of, 431-432; amendments to, 
432; demands for a new constitu- 
tion, 432-435 

Constitution, Topeka, 315-316 

Convention, State, authorized by the 
legislature, 327-328; election of 
delegates to, 329-330; first session, 
331-333; second session, 393, 369; 
third session, 396-397 ; fourth ses- 
sion, 397-398, 400; fifth session, 
400-401 

Conventions, pohtical. Sec Political 
Parties 

Conventions, railroad. See Railroads 

Cook, John D., in constitutional con- 
vention of 1820, 118, 124-126 

Cook, Nathaniel, in constitutional con- 
vention of 1820, 125; candidate for 
the U. S. Senate, 128 

Cooper, Benjamin, attempts to make 
a settlement in Boone's Lick terri- 
tory, 68; Santa F6 trader, 195 

Cooper County, represented in the 
first Missouri railroad convention, 
230 

Cooper, Stephen, Santa F€ trader, 195 

Cordelling, 183 

Coroner, office of, 124 

Cottey College, 463 

Council of the Indians, 54 

Counties, foundation of, 5; in 1804, 
77-78; formation of new ones in 
1812-20, 78-80; in the State in 
1 82 1, 80; creation of ten new ones 
in 1820, 131 ; creation of new coun- 
ties, 1820-41, 263-264; "wet" 
and "dry" counties, 464; without 
railroads, 246 

County aid to railroads, 245-246 

County Unit Law, 465 

Courses of study in colleges before the 
Civil War, 455 

Courts, during the Spanish period, 
53-54 ; during the territorial period, 
100-103 ; according to the constitu- 
tion of 1820, 123-124; opposition to 
the court of chancery, 131 ; tenure 
of judges, 263 ; " ousting ordinance," 
412-413 

Cowder>', Oliver, 219, 220, ft. n. i 



Creve Coeur, early history of, 43-44 

Crooked River, battle of, 223 

Cruzat, Lieutenant Governor, or- 
ganizes the expedition against St. 
Joseph, Mich., 30 

Cummings, Father, case of, on test 
oath, 414 

Cumorah Hill, 206 

Currency, "wild cat" or "dog," 144- 
150, 262 ; contraction of, after Civil 
War, 436 

Curtis, General Sam R., at Pea Ridge, 
371; at Independence, 388 

Dallas County, without railroads, 246 

"Danites," a sect of Mormons, 219-220 

Daugherty, Major, with the Third 
Missouri Mounted Volunteers, 158, 
it.-ii. 2 

Daughters of American Revolution, 
erect Santa Fe Trail markers, 202 

Daviess Countj', Mormon troubles in, 
220-222; Adam-ondi-Ahman, 222 

Davis, Jefferson, attitude toward Sterl- 
ing Price, 165, ft. n. i ; inaugura- 
tion, 329, ft. n. I ; sends munitions 
to Camp Jackson, 338-339 ; trans- 
fers Price to the Trans-Mississippi 
Department, 385 

De Bourgmont expedition, 1722-23, 9 

Debt, State, 241-245 

Declaration of Rights in the constitu- 
tion of 1820, 124 

De Lassus, lieutenant governor of 
Upper Louisiana, 33-34; census 
taken by, in 1799, 52, ft. n. i ; ap- 
points Daniel Boone as syndic, 63 ; 
grants land to Boone, 64 

Delaware, influence of, on the con- 
stitution of Missouri, 126 

Delawares, brought to Missouri by 
Lorimier, 47 ; during the War of 
1812, 66-72; cessions of land by, 
72; Mormon mission to, 207 

Delegate to Congress from Missouri, 
102-103 

De Leyba, in command at St. Louis, 
26-27 ; appeals to George Rogers 
Clark, 29; death, 31 ; defense of, 31 

Delor de Treget, founder of Caronde- 
let, 18, ft. n. I, 43 

Democratic party, attempt to win 
Mormon vote in Daviess County, 
221; reorganized under Jackson, 
258; control in Missouri, 1832-63, 



48: 



INDEX 



261 ; favors the creation of new 
counties in 1832, 264; Democratic 
convention captured by the " Hards" 
in 1844, 265 ; strength of, in the 
legislature in 1844, 268; national 
conventions in i86o, 323; supports 
Conservative Unionists in 1866, 
417; activity in 1868, 417-418; 
alliance with the Liberals in 1870, 
421; in 1872, 424-426; victory in 
1874, 427; rule from 1874 to 1904, 
428; defeated in 1894, 428, 439- 
440; in 1904 and 1908, 428 

Detttocratic Platform, the, newspaper 
at Liberty, 310 

Democratic-Republican party in 1820, 
258 

Denver, Governor, assists in suppress- 
ing the border troubles, 319-320 

Des Moines, railroad connections es- 
tablished with St. Louis, 247 

De Soto, expedition of, i 

De ViUiers, commandant of Upper 
Louisiana, 19 

Dewitt, Mormons at, 222 

Diocese of St. Louis, founded, 90-91 

Disqualifications for voting and office- 
holding in 1861-62, 397-398; in 
1865, 407-410; for the professions, 
410-41 1 

District of Louisiana, organized, too ; 
protest from the people of, in 1805, 

lOI 

District system for Congressional elec- 
tions, 264-265 
Dodge, General Henry, expedition 
against Indians, 69 ; member of 
the constitutional convention of 
1820, 118 
Don Carlos el Tercero le Roy, 18 
Doniphan, A. W., elected Colonel of 
the Missouri Regiment for the Mexi- 
can War, 154; assists in drafting the 
constitution for New Mexico, 157 ; 
expedition against the Navajos, 158- 
160; expedition through Mexico, 
160-163; reception of troops at St. 
Louis, 164; counsel for the Mormons, 
213; Whig candidate for the U. S. 
Senate, 284 ; draws up manifestoes 
against John Brown, 318 
Douglas County, without railroads, 246 
Douglas, Stephen A., nominated for 
President, 323; vote for, in Mis- 
souri in i860, 325 



Draconian Code, 407, ft. n. i 

Drake, Charles D., chairman of com- 
mittee of seventy before Lincoln, 
402 ; leader of the constitutional con- 
vention of 1865, 407; author of the 
Drake constitution, 407 ; passing 
from Missouri politics, 422 

Drake constitution. See Constitution 
of 1865 

Dress of the French settlers, 60 

Drunkenness in Missouri during the 
Spanish period, 82 

"Dry" counties and towns, 464 

Du Bourg, Bishop of Louisiana, in 
Missouri, 90-92 

Ducharme, Indian trader in Missouri, 
27, ft. n. I ; connected with the at- 
tack upon St. Louis, 27, ft. n. i., 29 

Dueling, during the Spanish period, 
83-84; between Benton and Jack- 
son, 251 

D'Ulloa, arrives in New Orleans, 2, ft. 
n. I, 17; sends Captain Rui to Mis- 
souri to build forts, 18 

Dunklin, Governor, relation with the 
Mormons, 212-213; elected gov- 
ernor, 261 

Dutch Henry's Crossing, activities of 
John Brown at, 317-318 

Drur>' College, 462 

Drj'den, Judge, 413 

Eads, James B., 451 

Earthquake of 181 1, effects of, 76-77; 
New Madrid claims, 77, ft. n. i. 

Education, provisions concerning, in 
the constitution of 1820, 453; in 
the constitution of 1875, 431 ; laws 
against instructing negroes, 296. 
See also Schools 

Edwards, Governor, issues a call for 
volunteers for the Mexican War, 
154; views about railroads, 229; 
nominated for governor, 265 ; elected 
governor, 268 

Election, Presidential, 1820, 133, ft. n. 
I, 131; 1824, 258-259; i860, 323- 
325; 1864, 405; 1868, 418; 1872, 
424-426; 1904 and 1908, 428; State, 
1820, 127-128; 1820-30, 258-259; 
at Gallatin in 1838, 221 ; 1862-64, 
398; 1866, 419; 1868, 418; 1872, 
424-426; constitutional convention, 
1820, 116; State convention, 329- 
331; on the adoption of the con- 



INDEX 



483 



stitution of 1865, 311-412; on the 
constitution of 1875, 428-429; on 
constitutional amendments {see Con- 
stitutional amendments) ; in Kansas 
in 1855, 312-315 

Elementary- schools, prior to the Civil 
War, 453 ; during the Civil War, 
455 ; after the Civil War, 456 

El Principe de Asturias — Sefior Don 
Carlos, 18 

Emancipation of slaves, provision for, 
in the constitution of 1820, 256, 291- 
292 ; early movement in Missouri 
for, 298; scheme of 1828, 299; Mis- 
souri Colonization Society, 299-300 ; 
private, 300; Fremont's proclama- 
tion, 399 ; Lincoln's scheme for com- 
pensated abolishment, 399-400 ; ordi- 
nance of 1863 providing for, by 1870, 
400-401 ; Lincoln's proclamation, 
402; ordinance of 1865 providing 
for immediate, 405-406 

Enabling Act of 1820, passage of, 108; 
five propositions of, 1 20-1 21 

England, acquires eastern Louisiana, 
2; attacks St. Louis, 22-31; makes 
peace with the United States, 361 ; 
relations with the Indians during 
1812, 66, 68; treaty with the United 
States over the Oregon country, 255 

Enquirer, St. Louis, rival of the Gazette, 
94; Benton as editor of, 254-255 

Enrolled Missouri MiUtia, 402, ft. n. i 

Episcopal Church in St. Louis, 1816, 
88 

Era of Good FeeUng, 258 

Ewing, General H. S., at Pilot Knob, 
387 

Ewing, Thomas, "Order Number 
Eleven," 382-383 

Exchange Bank (St. Louis), founded, 
148 

Executive department, provisions for, 
in the constitution of 1820, 123; in 
the constitution of 1875, 430 

Expedition, of George Rogers Clark, 
22-24; of Kearny and Doniphan, 
151-166; of fur companies, 169-181 ; 
Lewis and Clark, 171; Pike, 171, 
189-190; Malgores, 189, ft. n. i; 
Becknell, igo-191 

Expulsion of the Mormons from Mis- 
souri, 210 

Exterminating Order of Governor 
Boggs, 223 



Farmers' Exchange Bank at Lexington, 
founded, 148 

Farmington, 46 

Farms, of French settlers, 57-59; of 
American settlers, 61 ; just prior 
to the Civil War, 289; in recent 
years, 445-446 

Far West, Mormon capital, 218-219; 
Mormon temple at, 220; captured 
by General Lucas, 223-224 

Federalist party, declining from 181 6 
to 1820, 258 

Federals, number of, in Civil War from 
Missouri, 391-392 

Ferries during the territorial period, 95 

Fighting in Missouri, during the Span- 
ish period, 83 

Finance, provisions during the Civil 
War, 396 ; provisions concerning, 
in the constitution of 1875, 430, 433 ; 
deficiencies in 1916, 452-453 

Findlay, Jonathan, 118 

First Dragoons of the U. S. Army in 
the Mexican War, 154 

Flatboats, 96, 1S2 

Fletcher, Governor T. C, elected gov- 
ernor, 405 ; speech celebrating the 
passage of the ordinance of emanci- 
pation, 405, ft. n. 3 ; proclaiming the 
constitution of 1865, 412 

Flint, Timothy, 88 

Florissant, early history of, 43 

Folk, Joseph W., elected governor, 428, 
ft.n. 2 

Fort Benton, steamboat arrivals at, 
186, ft.n. I 

Fort Chartres, location, 3 ; founded, s ; 
headquarters of the French com- 
mandant, 6 ; fort at, 7 ; place of 
deposit for lead, 1 2 ; Laclede winters 
at, 14; migration of people from, 
to Missouri, 19 

Fort Orleans, 8-10 

Forts, in French settlements in Illinois, 
7; Spanish, in Missouri, 17-18; 
erected during the War of 181 2, 69-70 

Forty-niners, 204, 226 

Foster, Major, at Lone Jack, 378 

Fourche Renault, 11 

Fowler, Major, of Kentucky, 191 

Foxes. See Sacs and Foxes 

France, territorial losses of, in America, 
1762-63, 2; alliance with English 
colonies against England, 23 ; al- 
Uance with Spain, 23 



484 



LNDEX 



Francis, Governor David R., 439 
Franklin, founded, 75 ; value of land 
in 181S, 75 ; Missouri Intelligencer ^t, 
Q4; landing of the first steamboat 
at, 95 ; celebration over the first 
Missouri compromise, 115 ; terminus 
of Santa F^ Trail, 199 
Franklin County, created, 79; volun- 
teers from, for the Mexican War, 

154 

Frauds, railroad. See Railroad bonds 

Fredericktown. 46 

Free negroes, clause in the constitution 
of 1820 concerning, 132, 300-301 ; 
law of 1847 against the migration 
of, into the State, 138; anxiety of 
slaveholders concerning, 291, ft. n. 
I ; number in Missouri from 1810- 
60, 287, ft. n. I ; mobs against, 294; 
deterred the emancipation of slaves, 
299 ; fear of rapid invasion of, 301 ; 
code of, 301 ; later laws against, 
301-302 

Free silver campaign in Missouri, 436- 
441 

Fremont, John C, in charge of the De- 
partment of Missouri, 360; delay 
in reaching St. Louis, 361 ; advances 
upon Jefferson City, 367-368; plans 
in Southwest, 368; proclamation 
of emancipation, 399 

French and Indian War, 2 

French exploring expeditions in the 
Mississippi V^alley, i 

French language used in St. Louis in 
1820, 76 

French Louisiana, early French ex- 
plorations in the Mississippi Valley, 
I ; protest of French settlers against 
the cession of Louisiana by France 
to Spain, 2, ft. n. i ; early settle- 
ments in, 7-17; slave code of, 272, 
ft. n. I 

French settlements in Illinois, founded, 
3-7 ; emigration from Illinois into 
Missouri, 18-19 

" Friends of Society, "312 

Frisco Railroad. See Southwest Branch 
of the Pacific Railroad 

Frost, General, in charge of troops on 
the Kansas border, 321 ; recom- 
mends plan regarding the State 
militia, 338; protests to Lyon 
against the proposed capture of 
Camp Jackson, 342-343 ; surrenders 



Camp Jackson, 343-344 ; parole of 
Frost's soldiers, 345, ft. n. 1 

Funsten Brothers and Company, 180- 
181 

Fur trade, in early Illinois French set- 
tlements, 6 ; in early Missouri French 
settlements, 13, 41, 48, 50, g6, 141, 
169-171; furs as barter, 141, 170; 
cheating in furs, 142 ; trading by 
individuals, 13, 170-171; by com- 
panies, 171-179; trading posts, 173- 
174; rendezvous system, 176-177; 
pack train, 177; decUne of trade at 
St. Louis, 1860-90, 179-180; re- 
vival since 1890, 180, 447; auction 
sales, 180-181 ; fur markets at 
Leipsicand London, 181; St. Louis, 
the " Fur City," 181 ; Santa F6 trade, 
196-197. See also Ma.xent, Lisa, 
Ashley, and Astor. 

Gaines, General, 152-153 

Galena, steamboat connection with St. 
Louis, 143 

Gallatin, Mormon troubles at, 221 

Gallipolis, immigrants from, to New 
Bourbon, 44-45 

Gamble, Hamilton R., report of com- 
mittee on Federal relations, 332; 
elected governor, 369, 394 ; military 
order of, 379; sketch of, 394, ft. n. 
I ; address to the people of the 
State, 395 ; grants amnesty to 
rebels in i860, 410; attacked by 
Radicals, 401-402 ; death, 406, ft. 
n. I 

Gambling, during the territorial period, 
82-83 

Gardenhire, James B., 324 

Gardner, Governor, 453 

Gardcqui, Spanish ambassador to the 
United States, 49 

Gasconade County, created, 80 

Gasconade River accident, 239 

Gayoso, 38 

General assembly, first, 1820, 128-130; 
first meeting of, at Jefferson City, 
131, ft. n. i; elects Presidential 
electors in 1820, 133, ft. n. i ; enacts 
Solemn Public Act in 1821, 136-138. 
See also Legislature 

(k'nlry, Richard, 195 

Gentry, William, 427 

Geographical advantagt-s of Missouri, 



IXDEX 



485 



Georgia, representative from, before 
the State convention, 332 

German Reformed Church in Cape 
Girardeau District, 87 

Germans, early migration of, to Cape 
Girardeau, 48; attitude of, toward 
slavery, 300; the "Black Guard," 
344; in the Home Guard, 347 ; fear 
of, by the native Americans of St. 
Louis, 347-348; welcome Lyon in 
Jefferson City, 355; in "wet" 
counties, 464 

"Gettysburg of the West," 389-300 

Geyer, H. S., elected to the U. S. Sen- 
ate, 277 

Gilpin, Major, 159-160 

Girardot, settlement by, on Cape 
Girardeau promontory, 47 

Glenn, Hugh, Santa F6 trader, 191 

Gold Democrats in Missouri, 439-441 

Gold plates. Mormon, 204-206 

Government, of French settlements 
on the IlHnois, 6 ; of Louisiana during 
the Spanish period, 19-21, 52-55; 
of Missouri during the territorial 
period, 99-104 ; of Missouri as a 
State (see Constitutions) 

Governors, colonial, 52-55; terri- 
torial, 100-103 ; provision in the 
constitution for, 123; from McNair 
to Miller, 258; roster of governors 
from McNair to Gardner, 471-472 

Grange, origin of, 427 ; alliance with 
the Republicans in 1874, 427 

Grant, U. S., at Belmont, 373 ; captures 
Forts Henry and Donelson, 374 ; 
Shiloh, 375 ; dissatisfaction in Mis- 
souri with the administration of, 
425-426; defeated in Missouri for 
President, 426 

Gratiot, Charles, 25 

Great caravan, of 1720, 8 

Greeley, Horace, 426 

Greenback movement, 436-437 

Green, Daniel, 65 

Green, Duff, 118 

Green, James B., 276 

Grosvenor, Edward, 419, ft. n. i 

Growth of settlements during the 
Spanish period, 32-52; 1803-12, 
67; 1815-20, 74-76 

Guerrillas, 382 

Hadley, Herbert S., Governor, 428, ft. 
n. I 



Hall, Willard P., assists in drafting 
the constitution for New Mexico, 
157; introduces the Kansas-Ne- 
braska Bill into Congress, 306; 
elected lieutenant governor, 369, 
394 ; message to the legislature, 

413 
Hampden, anti-slavery town in Kansas, 

309 

Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, 
grants from the legislature to, 236, 
237, ft. n. I, 239, ft. n. i; construc- 
tion of, 185, 237, 240; continues 
paying interest on bonds, 241 

Hardin College, 463 

Hardin, elected governor, 427 

"Hards," rise of, 261-262; led by 
Benton, 262 ; capture State con- 
vention in 1844, 265; opposed by 
"Softs," 265; victorious, 268 

Harney, General W. S., called to 
Washington, 341 ; action after the 
capture of Camp Jackson, 347 ; 
makes an agreement with Price, 
350-351; removed, 351-352 

Harrison, William H., governor of 
Indiana Territory, 100, ft. n. 3 

Hawn's Mill, battle of, 223 

Hayes, President, vetoes the Bland bill, 
438 

Hays, Colonel Upton, 378 

Hedrick, Granville, 226 

"Hedrickites," migrate to Independ- 
ence, 226 ; secure possession of Tem- 
ple Lot, 208-209 

Helena, battle of, 386 

Hemp, cultivation of, 288 

Hempstead, Thomas, 115 

Henderson, John B., introduces the 
"compensated abolishment" bill into 
the Senate, 399-400 ; defeated for 
governor, 426 

Herald-Statesman, the, 94 

Herculaneum, shot tower at, 72, 104, 
ft. n. 2 

Hesse, leader of the Indians in the at- 
tack upon St. Louis, 25 

High schools, prior to the Civil War, 
453 ; during the Civil War, 455 ; 
after the Civil War, 457 

Holmes, Nathaniel, 413 

Home Guards, organized at St. Louis, 
342, ft. n. 2 ; clash with the Southern 
sympathizers, 347 ; Governor Jack- 
son's proposition concerning, to 



486 



INDEX 



Lyon, 352 ; Lyon's proposition to 
Jackson, 352-353 

House of Representatives. See Legis- 
lature 

Houses, of French settlers, 55-56; of 
American settlers, 61 

Howard County, formed, 78-79; value 
of land in 1815, 75; fort in, 70; ex- 
pression from, on the Missouri bill, 
112; volunteers from, for the Mexican 
war, 154; representation in the first 
railroad convention at St. Louis, 230 

Howard, General, 69 

Howard-Payne College, 463 

Hudson's Bay Company, 172 

Hughes, John T., 375 

Hunter, General, 368 

Hunting, early, in Missouri, 12 

Illinois, country, 3, ft. n. i ; French 
settlements in, 3, 5; Kaskaskia, ter- 
ritorial capital of, 5, ft. n. 2 ; immi- 
gration from French Canada to, 6; 
fur trade in, 6; character of the 
early French settlers in, 6 ; CathoHc 
church in, 6; transfer from France 
to England, 19; disorder in, from 
1778 to 1790, 35; Indians in, during 
the War of 1812, 68; influence upon 
the constitution of 1820, 126; mi- 
gration of Mormons from Missouri 
to, 225; represented in the railroad 
convention at St. Louis, 235 

Illiteracy in Missouri, 463 

Immigration into Missouri, from 
French settlements of Illinois, 18-19, 
35-36, 46; from American settle- 
ments in Kentucky and Tennessee, 
35 ; Spanish inducements for, 37-38 ; 
induced by Saucier, 41; during the 
territorial period, 74 ; Mormon, 
207-227 ; from free and slave states 
between 1820 and i860, 287-288; 
laws against free negro, 301-302 ; 
after the Civil War, 445 

Indebtedness, State, 448; certificates 
of, 450-452; county and municipal, 
450, ft. n. I ; constitutional amend- 
ments concerning, 452-453 

Independence, banking at, 149; Santa 
F6 Trail terminus, 199-200; Mor- 
mon Zion, 206-224, 226-227; reso- 
lutions of citizens of, concerning New 
England emigrants to Kansas, 311; 
battle of, 378 



Indiana, District of Louisiana under 
the Territory of, loo-ioi ; Presi- 
dential electoral vote in 1816, 13, ft. 
n. I ; represented in the railroad 
convention at St. Louis, 225 

Indians, relations of, with early French 
settlers in Illinois, 6; attack upon 
St. Louis, 1870, 25-30; difference 
between the attitude of French and 
American pioneers toward, 26 ; 
assist in the expedition against St. 
Joseph, Mich., 30 ; war between the 
Sioux and the Missouris, 41, ft. n. 
I ; attack upon Mine h. Breton, 46 ; 
expedition against Boonesborough, 
47, ft. n. I ; relations of Lorimier 
to, 47-48 ; tribes in Missouri in 181 2, 
66; troubles during the War of 1812, 
66-73; methods of warfare in 1812, 
69-70 ; raids against, by the pioneers, 
84 ; proposal to remove the Indians 
east of the Mississippi to Missouri, 
loi ; danger from, during Santa F6 
expeditions, 156; Doniphan's ex- 
pedition against the Navajos, 158- 
166; bring furs to St. Louis, 170; 
hostiUty of Blackfeet against fur 
traders, 173; relations of Manuel 
Lisa with, 173-175; bring furs to 
trading posts, 176; attack Santa Y€ 
caravans, 191-192; Mormon mission 
to, 206 ; as slaves, 286 

Industrial Luminary, newspaper at 
Parkville, 310, 313-314 

Industries in Illinois French settle- 
ments, 5-6; in Missouri during the 
Spanish period, 60; improvements 
in the territorial period, 96, 169-171 ; 
in St. Louis in 1850, 233; in recent 
times, 445-447 

Interstate system of railroads, 247 

Invasions of Kansas by Missourians, 
312-314; of Missouri by Kansans, 
319-321 

Iowa, admission of, into the Union, 168, 
ft. n. I ; representation at the rail- 
road convention, 235 ; boundary 
troubles with, 448, ft. n. i 

lowas, cessions of land by, 72 

Ironclad oath, the, 410 

Jackson, Andrew, vetoes the Bank bill, 
143 ; orders U. S. infantry to ac- 
company Santa F6 caravans, 192; 
part in the War of 181 2, 251; quar- 



INDEX 



487 



rel with Benton, 251 ; candidate for 
Presidency in 1824, 258; reorganizes 
the Democratic party, 258; elected 
President in 1828, 259; reelected in 
1832, 260-261 

Jackson, Claiborne F., reports the 
"Jackson Resolutions," 273, ft. n. i ; 
replies to Benton's "Appeal," 276; 
estimates the value of slaves in Mis- 
souri, 2Q0 ; connection with the Kan- 
sas invasions, 315; elected governor 
in i860, 324 ; sketch of, 326, ft. n. i ; 
inaugural address, 326-327; disap- 
pointment over the action of the 
State convention, 335 ; refuses to 
comply with Lincoln's call, 335-336 ; 
urges the people to arm against 
Federal invasion, 337 ; musters the 
State miUtia in camps, 337 ; inter- 
view with Lyon, 352-354; mobilizes 
State troops, 353-354 ; calls for vol- 
unteers, 355 ; goes to Boonville, 
355 ; calls special session of the legis- 
lature at Neosho, 368; collap.se of 
government, 395-396 ; issues a Dec- 
laration of Independence, 396, ft. n. 
I ; death, 355, ft. n. i 

Jackson County, volunteers from, for 
the Mexican War, 154; Mormon 
troubles in, 210-217; expulsion of 
Mormons into Clay County, 215; 
attempt to arbitrate differences with 
the Mormons, 216; Confederate 
recruiting in, 378; "Order Number 
Eleven," 382; value of land, 446; 
votes "dry" in 1916, 465-466 

Jackson, Hancock, 324 

Jackson Herald, the, 112 

Jackson, Lieutenant Colonel, in Navajo 
expedition, 159 

Jackson (Mo.), illuminated in honor of 
the first Missouri Compromise, 115 

" Jackson Resolutions," introduced into 
the Missouri legislature, 271-272; 
reported back to the Senate by Jack- 
son, 326, ft. n. i; text of, 272-273; 
passage of, 274; Benton's "Appeal" 
and canvass, 274-276 

" Jayhawkers," invade Missouri, 319- 
321; devastation by, during the 
Civil War, 3S4 

Jefferson City, selected as capital, 131, 
£t. n. i; State convention at, 331; 
attempt of Price to take, 387 ; meet- 
ing of Radicals at, 401-402 



Jefferson County, created, 79 ; resolu- 
tions from, on the Missouri Bill, 112; 
contest over the election of delegates 
to the constitutional convention of 
1820, 116, ft. n. i; representation 
in first railroad convention, 230 

Jesuits, settlement of, at River des 
Peres, 7 

Johnson, Charles P., 425-426 

Joliet, expedition of, i 

Jones, John Rice, member of constitu- 
tional convention of 1820, 123-124; 
candidate for the Senate, 128 

Judiciary, provisions concerning, in 
the constitution of 1820, 123-124; 
in the constitution of 1875, 430 

Junior colleges, 463 

Justices of the peace, created by the 
constitution of 1820, 124; for the 
trial of slaves, 293 

Kansas City, banks of, 149 ; steamboat 
terminus, 186; efforts to revive 
steamboat traffic, 186; railroad 
center, 247 ; twentieth city in popu- 
lation in the Union, 444 ; packing 
industry in, 447 
Kansas City Missouri Navigation 

Company, 186 
Kansas Indians, cessions of land by, 72 
Kansas, Mormon mission to Indians 
in, 206 ; border troubles, 304 ; in- 
terest of Missourians in the Nebraska 
territory, 305-306 ; Kansas-Nebraska 
Act, 284, 306-307 ; rush to, from 
Missouri and New England, 308-309 ; 
attitude of Missourians toward emi- 
grants from the East to, 309-310; 
Missouri Defensive Association, 311- 
312; Missourians at elections in, 312- 
316; invasion of, by "Border Ruffi- 
ans," 316-319; admission into the 
LTnion, 168, ft. n. i, 319; invasion of 
Missouri by "Jayhawkers," 319-321 ; 
restorationof order, 321 ;" Red Legs," 
381-382 ; sacking of Lawrence, 382 
Kansas-Nebraska Act, 284, 306-307 
Kaskaskia, location of, 3 ; founding of, 
5 ; description of, 5 ; fort at, 7 ; early 
mining and hunting in Missouri by 
people from, 10, 12; gives nicknames 
to French settlements in Missouri, 
17; capture of, by George Rogers 
Clark, 22-23; reduction in popula- 
tion of, 30; slaves at, 286 



488 



INDEX 



Kearny, Colonel Stephen, in charge of 
"Army of the West," 153; given 
command of Santa F6 expedition, 
154; march to Santa F6, 156-157; 
proclamation annexing New Mexico, 
157; expedition to California, 157 

Keel boats, 96, 183 

Kennett, Mayor, begins the construc- 
tion of the Pacific Railroad, 236 

Kentucky, emigration from, to Mis- 
souri, 74; influence of, on the con- 
stitution of Missouri, 126; repre- 
sented at the railroad convention 
in St. Louis, 235 ; immigration from, 
to Missouri, 288 ; influence of slave 
code of, on Missouri's code, 292 ; 
attempt to be neutral on secession, 
322 ; significance of the battle of 
Pea Ridge upon affairs in, 373 

Kerr, present post office of Far West, 
219 

Kickapoo, pro-slavery town in Kansas, 
309 

Kickapoos, cession of lands by, 72 

King, Austin A., tries Mormons at 
Richmond, 224; proposes that the 
legislature grant aid to the railroads, 
235 

Kingston, 218 

Kirk, John R., State superintendent 
of schools, 457 

Kirksville, battle of, 377 ; normal 
school at, 461 

Kirtland, Mormons at, 206-207, 212, 
ft. n. I 

La Charette, early history of, 41-42 
Laclede, founds St. Louis, 13-17; in- 
duces French to migrate from Il- 
linois to Missouri, 18-19; with 
Maxent, Laclede and Company, 170 
Laclede Rangers, in Mexican War, 154 
Lafayette County, volunteers from. 

for Mexican War, 154 
Lamanitc Mission, 206-207 
Lamoni, Iowa, headquarters of the 
Reorganized Latter Day Saints, 
226-227 
Land grants from Congress to railroads, 

231, 234, 237 
Land values, in recent times, 446 
Lane, "Jim," driven from the State by 
Price, 365 ; leader of the Kansas 
Freebooters, 381 ; escapes from at- 
tack upon Lawrence, 382 



L'Anse a la Graise. Sec New Madrid 

La Prairie du Rocher, location of, 3 ; 
founded, s 

La Salle, expedition of, i ; attempt to 
establish a settlement near Peoria, 4 

Lawless, Judge, 298 

Lawrence, Amos, 309 

Lawrence, anti-slavery town, 309 ; 
sack of, 316-317 ; 382 

Lawrence County, 18-19 

Laws, concerning banks, 144-145; 
against the use of "wild cat" cur- 
rency, 147 ; Parker, 456 ; local 
option, 463-466 

Lawyers, oath for, 410 

Lead and lead mining, early, 10-12, 
i6g ; at Mine h. Breton, 45-46 ; use of 
slaves in, 290 ; at present time, 446 

Leavenworth, pro-slavery town, 309 

Lecompton, pro-slavery town, 309 ; 
plans for attack upon, 318 

Leduc, Marie Phihp, 129-130 

Legislative department, territorial, 102- 
103; State, 122-123, 263-264, 429- 
430; inequaUties of representation 
in, 263-264 

Legislature, drafts memorial for state- 
hood, 105 ; charters the Bank of the 
State of Missouri, 144-145; adopts 
resolution on the Texas question, 
152; creates Caldwell County for 
Mormons, 217; incorporates 18 
railroads in 1837, 230; grants State 
aid to railroads, 235-240; inquires 
into construction of the railroads, 
238 ; authorizes sale of the railroads, 
243 ; investigates the sale, 244 ; 
passes the "Jackson Resolutions," 
271-274; passes resolutions of 1847 
on the principle of the Missouri Com- 
promise, 274, ft. n. 2 ; condemns the 
North for interfering with the policy 
of each state, 298 ; commends Van 
Buren for his stand on aboUtion, 298 ; 
enacts slave code and laws, 292 ; 
enacts laws against Abolitionists, 
297 ; enacts free negro code, 301-302 ; 
memorializes Congress concerning 
the Nebraska Territory, 305 ; re- 
port of Governor Stewart to, on the 
Kansas border troubles, 320; com- 
position in i860, 324; attitude of, 
toward secession, i860, 325-326; 
passes resolution against coercion 
of slave states, 328; enacts military 



INDEX 



489 



bill after the capture of Camp Jack- 
son, 348-350; appropriates money 
to repel Federal invasions, 350; 
called by Jackson into special session 
at Neosho, 368 ; issues declaration 
of secession, 369; seats declared 
vacant by the State convention, 
394; inability to effect emancipa- 
tion of slaves, 400; refuses to call 
a constitutional convention, 435 ; 
consolidates school funds, 481-482 ; 
enacts Parker laws, 456; enacts 
local option laws, 463-466 
Lenman, Senator, hung in etiigy, iis 
Le Sieur, Francis, founds New Madrid, 

48; founds Little Prairie, 51 
Lewis and Clark expedition, 171 
Lewis County, Confederate camps in, 

377 

Lexington, early banking in, 148-149; 
battle of, 365-367 

Liberal Democratic party in 1844, 265 

Liberal Republicans, rise of, 419; al- 
liance with Democrats in 1870, 421 ; 
gathering of, at Jefferson City, 425; 
disappearance of, 426 

Liberty, banking at, 149; meeting of 
Mormons and citizens of Jackson 
County at, 216; Mormons in jail 
at, 224; Federal arsenal at, 336 

License, required of free negroes, 301 

Lieutenant governor, office of, 123 

Life of early settlers, in French settle- 
ments in Illinois, 6 ; in French set- 
tlements in Missouri, 19-20, 55-61 ; 
in American settlements in Missouri, 
61-64; during the territorial period, 
81-97 

Lillard County, created, 80 

Lincoln, Abraham, elected President, 
322-323; vote for, in Missouri in 
1860,325; calls for 75,000 men, 335 ; 
orders removal of Harney, 351-352; 
declared partly responsible for 
"Order Number Eleven," 385, ft. n. 
I ; scheme of ''compensated abolish- 
ment" of slaver>', 399-400; rela- 
tions with the Radicals of Missouri, 
401-405 ; receives committee of 
seventy from Missouri, 402 ; issues 
emancipation proclamation, 402 

Lincoln County, fort, 70 ; created, 79 ; 
resolutions from, on the Missouri 
bill, 112; represented in the railroad 
convention at St. Louis, 230 



Lincoln Institute. 462, ft. n. i 

Lindenwood College, 463 

Linn County, volunteers from, for the 
Mexican War, 158 

Liquor industry, 466 

Lisa, Manuel, activity of, in the fur 
trade, 96; organizes fur company, 
171; connection with the Missouri 
Fur Company, 172-175 

Little Meadows, population in 1799, 
52, ft. n. I 

Little Prairie. See Caruthersville 

Livingston County, volunteers from, 
for the Mexican War, 158 

Loan certificates of Missouri, 143, 448, 
ft. n. I 

Local option laws, 463-466 

Lone Jack, battle of, 378 

Lorimier, founds Cape Girardeau, 47- 
48 ; brings Indians into Missouri, 67 

Louisiana, state of, represented at the 
railroad convention at St. Louis, 235 

Louisiana Purchase, transfer of, from 
France to the LTnited States, ^3 ; 
effect of, on American immigration 
to Missouri, 38-39 ; effects of, on 
conditions in Missouri, 82 

Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904), 
447, ft. n. I 

Louisiana Purchase Treaty, negotiated, 
32 ; provisions in, regarding slavery, 
291; ratified by the Senate, 100, ft. 
n. I 

Louisville, steamboat connection with 
St. Louis, 143 

Loutre Island, 27, ft. n. i 

Lovelace, W. L., 413 

Lovejoy, Elijah P., 297 

Lucas, J. B. C, candidate for the U. S. 
Senate, 128; commission for adjust- 
ing land claims, 130 

Lucas, General S. D., 223-224 

Lumber industry, 446 

Lyon, Nathaniel, sketch of, 339, ft. n. 
I ; arrival of, in St. Louis, 339; ac- 
quires control of the Arsenal, 340; 
visits Camp Jackson, 341-342 ; de- 
cides to capture Camp Jackson, 342 ; 
declines to receive protests from 
General Frost, 342-343 ; captures 
Camp Jackson, 343-345 ; offended 
by the Price-Harney agreement. 
351 ; placed in command at St. 
Louis, 352; interview with Jackson, 

I 352-354; recognizes the strategic 



490 



INDEX 



importance of Boonville, 356; 
leads Federal forces from St. Louis 
to Springfield, 358-359; asks for 
reenforcements, 360-361 ; command 
of the Department of Missouri taken 
from him, 360; displeasure over the 
appointment of McClellan, 360; 
disappointment over Frdmont, 360; 
advance and retreat from Cassville, 
362 ; at Wilson's Creek, 363-364 ; 
death of, 364 

McClellan, put in charge of the Depart- 
ment of Missouri, 360 

McClurg, elected governor in 1868, 410 

McCulloch, General, consents to assist 
Price in southwest Missouri, 359 ; 
returns to Arkansas, 359 ; differences 
between him and Price, 362-363 ; 
in command at Wilson's Creek, 363- 
364 ; refuses to assist Price after 
Wilson's Creek, 365 ; killed at Pea 
Ridge, 371 

McKendree Chapel, 87-88 

Mackinaw, 182 

McKinley, vote for, in Missouri in 1896, 
441, ft. n. I 

Maclot, John, 72, 104, ft. n. 2 

McNair, William, member of the con- 
stitutional convention of 1820, 118; 
elected governor, 127, 258; inaugu- 
ration, 228; recommends the pas- 
sage of the Solemn Public Act by 
the legislature, 136 

McNeil, John H., in command at Kirks- 
ville, 377 

Macon County, created, 378 

Mail routes in 181 9, 95 

Maine bill, 108 ; influence of, on the 
constitution of Missouri, 126 

Malgores, expedition of, 189, ft. n. i 

Manhattan, anti-slavery town, 309 

" Manifest destiny," beUef in, 151 

Manuel Lisa, Benoit and Company, 
171 

Manufactures, in St. Louis in 1810, 233 ; 
at present, 446 

Marais des Liards, population in 1799, 
52, ft. n. 2 

Marmaduke, John S., raid in 1863, 385 

Marmaduke, M. M., Santa Fe trader, 
19s ; dropped for governor by the 
"Hards," 265 

Marquette, expedition of, i 

Marthasville, 42 



Maryville, normal school at, 461 

Matamoras, Doniphan's advance to, 163 

Maxent, Laclede and Company, 13, 170 

Mechanics Bank (St. Louis) founded, 
148 

Meramec, 52, ft. n. 2 

Merchants Bank (St. Louis) founded, 
148 

Methodists in Missouri, during the 
territorial period, 85-89 

Mexican War, first volunteers from 
Missouri for, 152-153; Benton's 
attitude toward, 269. See also Don- 
iphan and Kearny 

Mexico, imprisonment of American 
traders in, 189; revolution in, 190; 
tariffs and customs regulations upon 
American traders by, 194-195; per- 
mission of, for the U. S. to survey 
the Santa Fe Trail, 198, ft. n. i ; trade 
with United States, 266-267. See 
also Mexican War 

Miamis, subdued by Dodge, 69 

Michigan represented at the railroad 
convention at St. Louis, 235 

Migration westward, through Missouri, 
168 

Mileage of railroads in Missouri, 240, 
243, 244, 246 

Military bill, enacted by the legisla- 
ture in 1861, 348-350 

Militia, in French settlements in Il- 
linois, 7; during the War of 1812, 
69. See also State Guard and State 
Mihtia 

Miller, elected governor in 1825, 258; 
reelected in 1828, 260 

Milling industry, 446 

Mine h. Breton, 11, 45 

Mine la Motte, 11 

Mining, early, lo-i i ; at present, 446 

Minute men, 340, ft. n. i 

Miro, Governor, 50 

Mis^re, name for Ste. Genevieve, 17 

Mississippi, representative from, to 
the Missouri legislature in i860, 328 

Mississippi River, navigation on, dur- 
ing the French period, 5 ; destroyed 
Kaskaskia, 5, ft. n. 2 ; destroyed Ste. 
Genevieve, 13 ; navigation on, during 
the Spanish period, 1 59-1 61 ; trib- 
utaries of, 168 ; steamboat traffic on, 
1S1-186; highway of the State, 220; 
navigation on, during the nineteenth 
century, 233 



INDEX 



491 



Missouri, temporary French settle- 
ments in, 7-10; conditions in, 
1763-70, 18-20; Spanish period, 
32; War of 1 81 2, 66-73 ; conditions 
during the territorial period, 74-7Q ; 
struggle for statehood, 99-138; 
territorial government of, 100-104 ; 
constitutional convention (1820), 
115-121; first constitution, 121- 
124; beginning of statehood, 127; 
first general assembly, 128-131; 
seal, 130 ; first Presidential electors, 
133, ft. n. I ; twenty-fourth state 
in the Union, 138; early banking in, 
140-150; expeditions of Kearny 
and Doniphan, 151-166; Mexican 
War, 151-166; as a colonizer of 
the West, 167-168; fur trade, 
steamboat navigation, and western 
trails, 167-202 ; geographical advan- 
tages of, 168; influence of, upon 
Montana, 201, ft. n. i ; railroads, 
228-249; trade in, during the 
nineteenth century, 233 ; politics 
from 1820 to 1844, 257-268; 
Kansas border troubles, 304-321; 
admitted to the Southern Con- 
federacy, 369 ; secured to the Union 
by the battle of Pea Ridge, 372; 
free silver campaign in, 436-441 ; 
Greenback party in, 436-457 ; Popu- 
Ust party in, 45 1 ; growth of 
population, 443-445 ; development 
of industries and wealth, 445-447 ; 
indebtedness, 448-453 ; educational 
institutions, 453-463 ; prohibition 
movement in, 463-466; place in 
the Union in population, 443-445 

Missouri Army Argus, 370 

Missouri bill, first, 104 ; second, 105 ; 
third, 108-111 

Missouri Brigades, 375-376 

Missouri Compromise, first, 104-115; 
second, 132-136; repealed, 307 

Missouri conference of the Methodist 
church, organized, 88 

Missouri Fur Company, 172-175 

Missouri Gazelle, 92-94, 112, 141, 
ft. n. I 

Missouri Hotel, where the first general 
assembly met, 128 

Missouri House, where the constitu- 
tional convention met, 118 

Missouri Intelligencer, 94, 112, 190- 
191 



Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, 
248 

Missouri Mounted Volunteers, for the 
Mexican War, 154, 158 and ft. n. 2 

Missouri Pacific Railroad. See Pacific 
Railroad 

Missouri Republican, quotations from, 
146, ft. n. I, 345-347. See Missouri 
Gazette 

Missouri River, steamboat traffic on, 
181-186; as a highway in the State, 
299; significance of, in the Civil 
War, 356 

Missouris, the, 41, ft. n. i, 66-72 

Missouri State miUtia, 402, ft. n. i 

Missouri Trading Company, 171 

Missouri Valley College, 452 

Mobile, railroad connections with St. 
Louis, 247 

Mob violence against free negroes and 
slaves, 294-295 

Monroe County, volunteers from, for 
the Mexican War, 158 

Monroe, James, reelected President, 
258; proclaims the admission of 
Missouri into the Union, 138 

Montana, influence of Missouri upon, 
201, ft. n. I 

Monteith, State superintendent of 
schools, 456 

Montgomery County, created, 79; 
resolutions on the Missouri bill, 112 ; 
representation in the first railroad 
convention, 230 

Montgomery's raid, 320-321 

Morgan, Colonel, plans for colonizing 
New Madrid, 49-50 

Mormons, origin of, 204-206 ; Lama- 
nite mission, 206-207 ; founding of 
Zion, 207-210; expulsion from Jack- 
son County, 210-215; attempts to 
secure redress, 215-216; settlement 
in Caldwell County, 217-220; 
dissensions among, 219-220; gather- 
ing of the storm, 220-223 ; expulsion 
from the State, 223-226; return 
to Missouri, 226-227; company of, 
for the Mexican War, 158, ft. n. i. 
See also Joseph Smith 

Morning and Evening Star, Mormon 
paper, 211 

Mount Pleasant Baptist Association, 
resolution on the Missouri bill, ii2 

Mulattoes. See Slavery 

Mules in Santa F€ trade, 197 



492 



INDEX 



Mullanphy, John, 104, ft. n. 2 
Mulligan, Colonel, 365-366 
Municipal aid to railroads, 245-246 
Munitions, manufacture of, 72-73 
Murphy's Settlement, 46 
Mutilation of slaves, penalty for, 203 

Napton, Judge, author of "Jackson 
Resolutions," 273, ft. n. 2 

Nashville, railroad connections with 
St. Louis, 247 

National banks. See Banks 

National Convention, political. See 
Democratic, Whig, and other 
political parties 

Nauvoo, settlement of Mormons at, 
226 

Navajos, expedition against, 158-160 

Navigation, use of slaves in, 2go; 
laws against owners of boats carry- 
ing slaves, 295. See also Mississippi 
and Missouri rivers 

Nebraska Territory, interest of 
Missourians in, 305 

Negroes, in French settlements in 
lUinois in 1763, 5, ft. n. 3; brought 
from San Domingo to Missouri by 
Renault, lo-ii; defeat of amend- 
ment to grant suflfrage to, 419. See 
also Slaverj' and Free Negroes 

Neosho, special session of the legis- 
lature at, 368-369 

New Bourbon, early histor>' of, 44-45 ; 
population in 1799, 52, ft. n. 2 

New England Emigrant Aid Society, 
309 

New Madrid, early history of, 48-50; 
population of, in 1799, 52, ft. n. 2; 
decline in population of, 76; estab- 
Ushment of post office at, 94 

New Madrid claims, 77, ft. n. i 

New Madrid County, formed in 181 2, 
77 ; effects of the earthquake on. 
77; included Arkansas in 1813, 
78 ; reduced by the creation of Law- 
rence County, 78 ; resolution on the 
Missouri bill, 112 

New Madrid District, condition of, from 
1763 to 1803, 48-51 ; population of, 
in 1804, 52, ft. n. I ; slaves in, 286 

New Mexico, area and population of, 
153, ft. n. I ; annexed by proclama- 
tion of Kearny, 157; constitution 
and laws drawn from Missouri and 
Texas, 157. ft. n. i; rebellion in, 



164-165; ceded to the United 
States, 166; won by Missourians, 
166-168; territorial organization 
of, 270 

New Orleans, migration of French 
settlers to, from Missouri after 
1764, 9; battle of, 72-73; Du- 
Bourg in, 90-91 ; steamboat con- 
nection with St. Louis, 145 ; arrival 
of Doniphan's men at, 163 ; rail- 
road connection with St. Louis, 247 

Newspapers, early, in Missouri, 92- 
94; in 1819, 112; attitude of, 
toward the migration of New Eng- 
enders to Kansas, 3 10-3 11 

New York, Mormons in, 206-207, 
210; represented at the railroad 
convention in St. Louis, 235 

Nicknames for Missouri towns, 17, 
25, ft. n. 2, 43 

Normal schools, 461-462 

North Carolina. Sec Carolinas 

North Missouri Railroad, grants from 
the legislature to, 236, 237, 240, ft. 
n. i; construction to Macon, 240; 
fails to pay interest on its bonds, 
241 ; authorized to make private 
loans, 242 ; construction of branch 
to St. Joseph, 243 ; sale of, 244 

Northrup and Chick, founders of the 
first bank at Kansas City. 49 

Northwest Company of Montreal, 172 

Northwest Ordinance, effects of, on 
immigration to Missouri, 36-37 

Oaths, test, prescribed for voting and 
office-holding in 1861, 397, 408; in 
1862, 398; in 1865, 408-410; for 
professions, 410-41 1; oath for pro- 
fessions declared unconstitutional, 

414, ft. n. I ; oath for suffrage and 
office-holding declared constitutional, 

415, ft. n. I ; abolished, 422 

Ohio, influence of, on the constitution 
of Missouri, 126; Mormons in, 
206-207 ; represented at the rail- 
road convention in St. Louis, 235 
Ohio Life and Trust Company, 149 
Oliver, Mordecai, secretary of state, 

394 
Omaha Indians, relations of Lisa 

with, 175 
Omaha, railroad connection with St. 

Louis established, 247 
Omnibus bill, 270-271 



INDEX 



493 



"Order Number Eleven," 382-383 
Ordinance, Northwest, 36-37 ; of 

1820, 120-121; ousting, 412-413. 

See also Emancipation 
Oregon, influence of Missouri on, 168, 

201 
Oregon Trail, 197-202 
O'Reilly, assumes control of Louisiana 

for Spain, 2, ft. n. i, 19-20 
Orr, Semple, 324 
Osage boundary line, 105, ft. n. i 
Osages, feared by the Spanish governor, 

47-48; during the War of 181 2, 

66-72 ; cessions of land by, 72 
Osceola, sacked by Jim Lane, 381 
Ossawotamie, anti-slavery town, 309 ; 

destroyed, 318 
Ousting ordinance, 412-413 
Ozark County, without railroads, 246; 

value of lands in 1910, 446 

Pacific Fur Company, 178, ft. 11. i 
Pacific Railroad, grants from the 
legislature to, 236, 237, 239, ft. n. i, 
240, ft. n. I ; construction of, 236 ; 
fails to pay interest on its bonds, 
241 ; authorized to make private 
loans, 242 ; completed, 242 ; sale of, 
244 
Packing industry, 446-447 
"Pain Court," 17, 25, ft. n. 2 
Palmer, vote for, in Missouri, 441, 

ft. n. I 
Palmyra massacre, 385, ft. n. 2 
Panhandle district, in, ft. n. i 
Panic of 1819, 142-143; of 1837, 

145, ft. n. I, 149, 232 
Paper money, 144-150 
Park College, 462 
Parker laws, 455-456 
Parkville, resolutions of citizens of, con- 
cerning Nebraska, 305 ; sack of, 381 
Parochial schools, 453. See Schools 
Parsons, General, 321 
Pate, Captain, 318, ft. n. i 
Patrols against slaves, 296 
Pawpaw Militia, 391 
Pea Ridge, battle of, 371-372 
Peck, Rev. John Mason, early Baptist 

preacher, 87 
Pemiscot County, effects of earthquake 

on, 77 
Penicaut's Journal, 8, ft. n. i 
Pennsylvania, influence of, on the 
constitution of Missouri, 126; rep- 



resented at the railroad convention 

at St. Louis, 23s 
People's party, 1872, 427 
Pershing, General, 163, ft. n. i 
Pertle Springs convention, 440 
Petition to Congress, for changes in 

territorial government, 101-102 ; 

for statehood, 104-108; for grants 

of land for railroads, 230; from 

Mormons for relief, 225-226 
Phelps, John S., 417 
Piernas, arrival of, in St. Louis in 

1770, 20 
Pike County, 79 
Pike's expedition, 171, 189-190 
Pilot Knob, battle of, 386-387 
Pittsburgh, steamboat connection with 

St. Louis, 143 ; railroad connection 

with St. Louis, 247 
Plantations, not numerous in Missouri, 

288-289 
Platte County Railroad, grants from 

the legislature to, 236, 240, ft. n. i ; 

fails to pay interest, 241 ; sale of, 

244 

Platte County Self Defensive Asso- 
ciation, 312 

Platte County, volunteers from, for 
the Mexican War, 154; representa- 
tion in the legislature, 263 

Platte Purchase, 268 

Pleasanton, General, 388 

Poindexter Raid, 385 

Point Labadie, 43 

Political parties in Missouri from 1820 
to 1844, 258-268. See Democratic, 
Whig, Republican, and other parties 

PoUtics, territorial, 84 

Polk, President, apology for Kearny's 
New Mexico proclamation, 157 ; 
relation with Benton, 269 

Polk, Trusten, elected governor, 284- 
285; elected to the Senate, 326, ft. 
n. I 

Population, in Illinois in 1763, 5, 
ft. n. 3 ; in Missouri in 1765, 18; 
in the District and Territory of 
Louisiana, 1803-10, 34, 39, 52, ft. 
n. I ; in the territory of Missouri, 
1812, 67; in Missouri, 1810-1910, 
74, 81, ft. n. I, 232, 287, ft. n. I, 
355. 443; in Missouri in 1821 and 
1910, 81 ; of St. Louis, 1770-1910, 
20, 52, 140, 233, 444, ft. n. i; of 
Kansas City, 444, ft. n. i ; of St. 



494 



INDEX 



Joseph, 444, ft. n. I ; of Ste. Gene- 
vieve, 13, 46; of New Mexico in 
1846, 153, ft- n. I ; rank of Missouri 
in. 445 

Populist movement, 437 

Portage des Sioiix, early history of, 
41 ; Indian conference at, 70 

Portageville, founded, 51 

Porter, Joseph C, 377 

Postal facilities, early, Q4 

Potosi. See Mine k Breton 

Prairie fires, during the Civil War, 384 

Pratte, Chouteau and Company, 179 

Pratt, Parley P., 207 

Preachers, pioneer, 85-89 ; test oath 
for, 410 

Preamble of the first constitution, 121- 
122 

Presbyterians in St. Louis in 1816, 88 

Price-Harney Agreement, 350-351 

Price, Sterling, arrival at Santa Fe, 
iST^isS; overcomes rebellion in 
New Mexico, 164; elected governor, 
284; president of the State con- 
vention, in 1861, 331; sketch of, 
331, ft. n. I ; becomes a secession- 
ist, 350; makes an agreement with 
Harney, 350-351; at the Jackson- 
Lyon interview, 352-354; taken ill 
at Boonville, 356; in command at 
Lexington, 357 ; sent to solicit 
aid from McCuUoch, 358; at 
Cowskin Prairie, 359; advance to 
Cassville, 361 ; differences with 
McCuUoch, 362-363 ; at Wilson's 
Creek, 363-365 ; inability to follow 
up his victory, 365 ; drives Jim Lane 
from the State, 365 ; campaign 
around Lexington, 365-367 ; returns 
to southwest Missouri, 367 ; appeals 
for reenforcements, 370; retreats 
into Arkansas, 371; at Pea Ridge, 
37i~372; enters Confederate ser- 
vice, 374-376; raid in 1864, 385- 
389 

Profanity in early Missouri, 82-83 

Professional classes, during the territo- 
rial period, 84; oath for, in 1865, 
410-41 1 

Prohibition movement, 463-466 

Protestants, restrictions upon, during 
the Spanish period, 37-38, 50; 
growth of, during the territorial 
period, 85-89. See Baptist, Metho- 
dist, and other denominations 



Provisional government, estabUshed 
by the State convention, 369, 393- 
395 ; problems of, 395-401 ; attacked 
by Radicals, 401-402 ; provision 
for immediate emancipation of 
slaves, 405-406; estabUshed the 
Drake constitution, 407-414 

PubUc education. See Educational 
institutions 

PubUc lands, 120 

Public opinion in Missouri in 1819- 
20 over the Missouri bill, 111-115; 
in 1S20-21, over the delay in the 
admission of Missouri into the 
Union, 134-135 ; over the Kansas- 
Nebraska biU and the border 
troubles, 305-306, 319-321 

PuUtzer, Joseph, 419, ft. n. i 

Qualifications for suffrage and oflBce 
holding during the Civil War. See 
Test oaths, Suffrage, etc. 

QuantreU, at the battle of Independ- 
ence, 378; at the sack of Lawrence, 
382 ; at Westport, 388 

Radicals, rise of, 401 ; meeting at 
Jefferson City, 401-402 ; appeal to 
Lincoln, 402-404 ; attempt to defeat 
Lincoln, 404-405 ; on control of 
the constitutional convention of 
1865, 405 ; secure immediate emanci- 
pation of slaves, 405-406; draft 
the Drake constitution, 407-410; 
condemned for the test oaths and 
disquaUfications, 411; divided over 
the afloption of the constitution of 
1S65, 412; opposition to, in 1866 
and 1868, 416-417; victory in 1866 
and 1868, 417-418; downfaU, 419- 
423 ; significance in Missouri history, 
422-423 

Railroads, effects of, on steamboat 
traffic on the Missouri, 185-186; 
delay in building, 228-230; first 
railroad convention in St. Louis, 
230 ; incorporation of 18 railroads, 
230-231; decline of interest in, 
232-233; efforts to obtain Con- 
gressional aid for, 234-235 ; second 
railroad convention in St. Louis, 
23s ; first State grants to, 235-236 ; 
early construction of, 236-237 ; 
legislative inquiry into construction 
of, 238-239; last legislative grants 



INDEX 



495 



to, 230-240; mileage in i860, 240; 
defaulting in the payment of interest, 
240-241 ; private loans to, 241-242 ; 
sale of, 243-244 ; legislative in- 
vestigation into the sale of, 244-245 ; 
county and municipal aid to, 245- 
246; development since 1865, 247- 
249 ; constitutional provision against 
repetition of railroad frauds, 433-434 
Raines, General, 374 
Ralls County, created, 80, 130, ft. n. i 
Ralls, Daniel, 130 
Randolph County, volunteers from, 

for the Mexican War, 158 
Ray County, created, 79 
Rebellion in New Mexico, 164-165 
"Red Legs," depredations of, 381- 

382, 384 
Reeves, Benjamin H., 195 
Registry Acts of 1866 and 1868, 415- 

416 
Religious restrictions during the 

Spanish period, 85 
Renault, early mining by, lo-ii; in- 
troduces slaves into Missouri, 286 
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter Day Saints. See Mormons 
Republicans, national convention of 
i860, 323 ; slight strength in Missouri 
in i860, 325; divided into "Clay- 
banks" and "Charcoals," 401, ft. 
n. 2; conventions in 1864, 404-405; 
victories in Missouri in 1864, 405 ; 
Radical rule, 1864-70, 407-419; 
victories in 1894, 1904, and 1908, 
428, 439-440 ; national convention 
of, in St. Louis in 1896, 441 
Reynolds, T. C, elected heutenant 
governor, 324; ousted, 369 ; fails to 
establish himself as governor, 387 
Rigdon, Sidney, journeys to western 
Missouri, 207 ; settles in Missouri, 
219; "salt sermon," 220, 223 
River des Peres settlement, 7-8 
Roads, during the territorial period, 
95; toll roads, 229; inadequate 
system of, 232 
Rocky Mountain Fur Company, 175- 

178, 198 
Rolla, School of Mines at, 461 
Rollins, James S., father of the 

University of Missouri, 460 
Rosati, Bishop, first Bishop of St. 

Louis, 92, ft. n. I 
Rosecrans, General, 387 



Rui, Captain, 17-18 
Rural schools, 456-457 

Sacramento, battle of, 162-163 

Sacs and Foxes, during the War of 

1812, 66-72; treaty with, 71 
St. Andre, population in 1799, 52, 

ft. n. 2 
St. Ange, governor of Upper Loui- 
siana, 20 ; legal founder of St. 

Louis, 20, ft. n. I 
St. Charles County, fort, 70; formed 

in 1812, 77-78; represented at the 

railroad convention at St. Louis, 

230 
St. Charles District, condition of, 1763- 

1803, 39-42 ; population of, in 1804, 

52, ft. n. I 
St. Charles, early history of, 39-40; 

population in 1799, 52, ft. n. i; 

commons, 58; post office, 94; 

resolutions on Missouri bill, 112; 

temporar>' capitol at, 131 ; special 

sessions of general assembly at, 

136; slaves at, 286 
St. Charles Missourian, 112 
Ste. Genevieve County, formed in 

1812, 77-78; reduced by the 

creation of Washington County, 78; 

resolution on the Missouri bill, 112; 

volunteers from, for the Mexican 

War, 158 
Ste. Genevieve District, condition of, 

1763-1803, 44-46; population of, 

in 1804, 52, ft. n. I 
Ste. Genevieve, founded, 10-12; re- 
moved, 12-13, 44; population of, 

in 1799, 52, ft. n. 2; common field, 

58; post office established at, 94; 

slaves at, 2S6 
St. Ferdinand, population of, in 

1799, 52, ft. n. 2 
St. Joseph, banks of, 149; resolution 

on the Nebraska territory, 305; 

rank in population, 444 ; packing 

industry of, 447 
St. Joseph {Mich.), Spanish expedition 

against, in 1781, 30 
St. Joseph Prairie settlement, 7 
St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad, 
grants from the legislature to, 236, 

237. 239, ft. n. I, 240, ft. n. i; 
built to Pilot Knob, 240; fails to 
pay interest on its bonds, 241 ; sale 
of, 244 



496 



INDEX 



St. Louis County, formed in 1812, 
77-78; contest over election, 116, 
ft. n. I ; resolutions on the Missouri 
bill, 112; volunteers from, for the 
Mexican War, 138; represented in 
the first railroad convention, 230 ; 
representation in the legislature, 
263 ; resolutions concerning the 
Nebraska territory, 305 ; value of 
land in 1910, 446 

St. Louis District, conditions from 
1763 to 1803 in, 42-44; population 
of, in 1804, 52, ft. n. I 

St. Louis Enquirer, 112 

St. Louis, founded, 13-15; plan of, 
1764-80, 16; names of, 17, 25, ft. n. 
2; English attack upon, in 1780, 
22-31 ; fortifications of, 26, ft. 
n. I ; first American settler in, 38 ; 
conditions in 1804, 42; population 
of, in 1799, 52, ft. n. i; growth of, 
from 1815 to 1820, 76; foundation of 
pubUc schools in, 85 ; first Protestant 
churches in, 88 ; Catholic church in, 
89-92 ; cathedrals in, 91-92 ; early 
newspapers in, 92-94 ; post ofiice 
estabUshed at, 94; landing of the 
first steamboat at, 95 ; estabHsh- 
ment of first bank at, 140; banks of, 
140-150; expression of citizens, on 
Jackson's veto, 143 ; volunteers 
from, for the Mexican War, 154; 
reception given by, to Doniphan's 
men, 164; as fur center, 169-181 ; 
steamboat terminus, 186; first 
railroad convention at, 230; popu- 
tion of, in 1850, 233; undeveloped 
trade in 1850, 233; as a railroad 
center, 247 ; stronghold of the Whig 
party, 261 ; slaves at, 281 ; slave 
market, 291 ; Lovejoy incident, 
297-298; emancipation of slaves 
at, 300; State convention at, 322; 
Federal arsenal at, 336-338 ; capture 
of Camp Jackson, 339-345 ; excite- 
ment after the capture, 345-349 ; 
organized as a county, 432, ft. n. i ; 
rank in population, 444 ; votes 
"wet," 465 

St. Louis Observer, 297 

St. Louis Republic, 92 and ft. n. 2 

St. Louis University, 454, 462 

St. Michael's, 46 

St. Paul, railroad connection with St. 
Louis established, 247 



St. Philippe, location, 3 ; founded, 
5, II ; abandoned, 19 

Saints. See Mormons 

Salaries, opposition to high minimum, 
123, 131 

Sale of railroads, 243-245 

Saline County, created, 80; volunteers 
from, for Mexican War, 154 

Salt Lake Valley, migration of 
Mormons to, 204, 226 

Salt Springs, grant of, to Missouri, 120 

Saltillo, Doniphan's advance to, 163 

San Carlos del Missouri, 40 

San Diego, arrival of Kearny at, 157 

San Fernando, 40, 43. See Florissant 

Santa F6 expeditions, preparations for, 
I53~i54; Kearny's march to, 155- 
157; Price's expedition to, 157- 
158, 331. ft. n. i; Doniphan's 
expedition against the Navajos, 158- 
160; Doniphan's expedition through 
Mexico, 160-164; reception of 
troops at St. Louis, 164 ; rebellion 
in New Mexico, 164-165; return of 
Price to New Mexico, 165; signifi- 
cance of Kearny and Doniphan's 
expeditions, 166 

Sante F6, founded, 188 ; population 
in 1846, 153, ft. n. I ; entry of 
Kearny into, 156; furs brought from, 
175 

Santa F€ trade, first expedition, 188; 
Vial's journey, 188-189 ; Becknell's 
expedition, 190-191 ; attacks by 
the Indians, 191-192 ; Mexican 
tariffs and customs, 194-195; char- 
acter of traders, 195-196; wares, 
returns, and profits, 196-197 ; effects 
of the decline of, upon the rail- 
roads, 232 

Santa F6 Trail, 197-202 

Saucier, founder of Portage des Sioux, 
41 

Schofield, General, 379 

School districts, created, 456; con- 
solidation of, 463 

School funds, 450-452, 453, ft. n. i. 
See Certificates of indebtedness 

School of Mines and Metallurgy, 461 

Schools, during the Spanish period, 
60; during the territorial period, 
84-85 ; Congressional grant of the 
sixteenth section, 120; condition 
from 1820 to i860, 453-455; during 
the Civil War, 455; since the. 



INDEX 



497 



Civil War, 450-463 ; State aid for, 
458-459; needed improvements in, 
463 ; parochial, 453 

Schurz, Carl, leader of the Liberals, 
419; chairman of the National 
Liberal Convention, 425-426 

Scott, John, member of the con- 
stitutional convention of 1820, 
118, 124-126; first Congressman 
from Missouri, 127; reelected, 
258 ; votes for Adams for President, 
259; defeated for reelection, 259 

Seal of Missouri, 130 

Secessionists in Missouri, attitude 
toward the question of secession, 
in i860, 325; disappointment over 
the action of the State convention, 
335 ; ranks increased by the capture 
of Camp Jackson, 350 

Secession of the Southern States, 325 ; 
of Missouri by declaration of the 
legislature, 369 

Secretary of State, office of, 123 

Seminary fund, 450-452 

Senate. See Legislative department 

Shannon County, value of lands in, 
in 1910, 446 

Shawnees, brought to Missouri by 
Lorimier, 47 ; during the War of 
181 2, 66-72; cessions of land by, 
72 ; Mormon mission to, 207 

Sheriff, office of, 124 

Shot tower, at Herculaneum, 72, 104, 
ft. n. 2 

Sigel, Franz, defeated at Carthage, 
359; at Wilson's Creek, 363-364 

Silver, free, campaign, 436-441 

Sioux Indians, 241, ft. n. i 

Slaveholders, comparison between 
French and American, 287 ; average 
number of slaves held by, 289-290; 
seUing of slaves by, 291 ; anxiety 
of, concerning free negroes, 291, 
ft. n. I ; relation of, with their 
slaves, 294-295 ; teaching of slaves 
by, 296; interest in colonization by, 
299-300 

Slavery, question raised by the petition 
for statehood, 99; Tallmadge 
amendment, 105 ; first Missouri 
Compromise, 108-111; opposition 
to Congressional restriction upon, 
111-113; issue in 1820, 115-116; 
no interest in Missouri over the 
extension of, in Texas, 152; opposi- 



tion of Mormons to, 211; question 
of, in New Mexico Territory, 
269; doctrine of squatter sover- 
eignty, 272-273 ; during the Spanish 
period, 61; legal basis for, 291- 
292 ; provision for, in the Kan- 
sas-Nebraska Act, 307 ; attitude 
of Governor Stewart toward, 326; 
attitude of Governor Jackson toward, 
327. See also Emancipation, Coloni- 
zation, Free negroes, and Kansas 
border troubles 

Slaves, Indians as, 286; first negro, 
in Missouri, lo-ii, 286; difference 
in attitude of French and American 
pioneers toward, 286-287 ; number 
of, in Missouri, 1803-60, 287; value 
of, 290 ; traffic in, 290-291 ; codes, 
292; civil disabilities of, 292-293; 
not a mere "thing," 292; penalties 
for crimes and misdemeanors of, 293— 
294; relation between masters and, 
294-295 ; recovery of fugitive, 270, 
295 ; number of, in western Missouri 
in i860, 308 

Slave trade, activity in, 290-291 ; 
aboHshed in the District of Columbia, 
270 

Smith, Joseph, Jr., founder of Mor- 
monism, 204-205 ; organization of 
the Mormon church at Fayette, 
N. Y., 208; removal to Kirtland, O., 
207 ; journey to Missouri, 207 ; 
dedication of Zion, 207-208 ; 
revelation of Mormon troubles, 213; 
moves to Missouri, 219; plans 
for the expansion of Mormonism, 
220; charged with and tried for 
treason, 224 ; escapes from Missouri, 
225; settles at Nauvoo, 226; 
murdered, 226 

" Social Bands," 312 

Social conditions, in early French 
settlements, 19-20; during the 
Spanish period, 58-61 ; during the 
territorial period, 81-97; in recent 
times, 442-466 

"Softs," 261-268 

Solemn Public Act, enacted 1821, 
136-138; violated, 302 

Sons of the South, 312 

South Carolina. See CaroHnas 

South Pass, discovery of, 198 

Southwest Branch of the Pacific, 
grants from the legislature to, 236, 



498 



INDEX 



237, 239, ft. n. I ; 240, ft. n. i ; fails 
to pay interest, 241 ; sale of, 244 

Spain, acquires territory in America 
from France, 2 ; alliance with France 
against England, 23 ; claims territory 
between the Ohio River and the 
Great Lakes, 30-31 ; offers induce- 
ments to settlers from the United 
States, 37 ; induces Lorimier to 
bring Indians to Louisiana, 47-48 ; 
Mexico revolts from, 190 

"Spanish Bank," 36 

Spanish forts in Missouri, 17-18 

Spanish land grants, terms of, 37-38; 
proposed to Morgan, 49 

Spanish Louisiana, acquired from 
France, 2 ; control assumed by 
Spanish ofScials in 1769, 2; condi- 
tions during the Spanish period, 
32-64; government of, 52-55 

Speculation during the territorial 
period, 84; from 1815 to 1819, 142- 
143 ; during the 30's, 231 

Springfield, early settlements near, 76; 
campaigns around, during the Civil 
War, 358-365 ; normal school at, 
461 

Squatters' Claim Association, organi- 
zation of, 311-312 

Squatter Sovereign, the, newspaper at 
Atchison, 310-31 1 

Squatter sovereignty, doctrine of, 273 

Stakes, Mormon, 210 

State aid to railroads, 235-245 ; to 
schools, 458-459 

State banks. See Banks 

State conventions. See Conventions 

State Guards, ordered to camp by 
Governor Jackson, 337-338; cap- 
tured at Camp Jackson, 339-345 ; 
parole of, after the capture, 345, 
ft. n. I ; propositions of Governor 
Jackson and Captain Lyon concern- 
ing, 352-353 ; general levy of, issued 
by Governor Jackson, 355 ; defeated 
at Boonville, 356-357; fall back 
to the Osage River, 357-358; con- 
centrate in the Southwest, 358-360; 
defeat Lyon at Wilson's Creek, 360- 
365 ; transferred to the Confederate 
service, 374-375 ; percentage of 
Missourians in, and in the Con- 
federate service, 392 

State Militia, organization of loyal, 
by Governor Gamble, 396-398; 



pillaging and plundering of, 380; 
bitter feeUng of Confederates against, 
381 ; difference between the Missouri 
State Militia and the Enrolled 
Missouri Mihtia, 402, ft. n. i 

Steamboat, during the territorial 
period, 95, 184-185; traffic in 
1836, between St. Louis and other 
points, 143-144; traffic on the 
Missouri River, 181-186 

Stephens College, 463 

Stewart, Governor, replies to Benton's 
"Appeal," 276; vetoes free negro 
bill, 302 ; suppresses border troubles, 
319-320; appeals to President 
Buchanan for help, 320, ft. n. i ; 
last message to the legislature, 326; 
sketch of, 326, ft. n. i 

Stirling, Captain, 19, ft. n. 2 

Stoddard, Captain Amos, 33-34 

Stringfellow, Attorney General, can- 
didate for the Senate, 277 ; con- 
nected with the Kansas invasions, 
315; issues manifestoes against 
John Brown, 318 

Suffrage, during the territorial period, 
102-103 ; quaUfications for, under 
the constitution of 1820, 122; under 
the ordinance of 1861, 397; of 
1862, 397-398; the constitution 
of 1865, 408-410; negro, defeated 
in 1868, 418-419; schism in the 
ranks of the Radicals over, 419-420; 
limitations on, abolished, 422 

Sunday desecration, 83 

Superintendents of registration, 4 1 5-4 1 6 

Swamps, reclamation of, 77 

Taft, William H., 441, ft. n. i 
Tallmadge amendment, 105 
Taney County, value of land in, 446 
Taos, captured by Price, 165 
Tappan, Arthur, negro incident of, 

299 
Tarkio College. 462 
Taverns in the territorial period, 97 ; 

at Arrow Rock, 199 
Taxation, during the Civil War, 396; 

constitutional limitations upon, 433- 

435 

Taylor, General Zachary, 153 

Teachers' colleges, 462 

Teachers, oath prescribed for, 460; 
requirements for certification of, 
457-458. 5ee Schools and Education 



INDEX 



499 



Temple Lot, at Independence, con- 
secrated, 208 ; in possession of the 
"Hedrickites," 208-209, 226; ex- 
pectation of all Mormon sects to erect 
the temple thereon, 226-227. 

Tennessee, emigration from, to Mis- 
souri, 74, 208; represented at the 
railroad convention at St. Louis, 

23s 
Territorial government of Missouri, 

99-104 
Territory of Louisiana, 101-102 
Territory of Missouri, 102-103 
Territory of Orleans, 100 
Test Oath. See Oaths 
Texas, interest in Missouri in the 
annexation of, 151; migration from 
Missouri to, 151, 168; railroad 
connection with St. Louis estab- 
lished, 248; opposition of Benton 
to the cession of, in 1819, 255 ; how 
Texas question arose, 265 
Thomas amendment to the Missouri 

bill, 108 
Thompson, Jeff, raids of, 385 
Tobacco industry, 446 
Todd, guerrilla, killed in Price's raid, 388 
Topeka, anti-slavery town, 309 
Topeka constitution, 315-316 
Towns, "wet" and "dry," 464 
Trails, Santa ¥6 and Oregon, 197-202 
Transcontinental railroad, proposed, 

234-235 
Treasurer, State, office of, 123 
Treaty, of Fontainebleau, 2, 22; of 
San Ildefonso, 32 ; with the Indians, 
70-72; of Guadalupe, 166, 269 
Trudeau, Governor, 1 70-1 71 
Trust companies. See Banks 

"Unconditional Union men," 330 

Underground railroad, 295 

United States Bank, branch of, at 
St. Louis, 143 

University of Missouri, 120, 454-455, 
459-462 

Utah, migration of Mormons to, 204, 
226; Utah Mormons at Independ- 
ence, 227 

Value of land, in 1815, 75; in recent 

years, 445-447 
Van Buren, President, commended 

by the legislature of Missouri for his 

stand on abolition, 208 



Van Dorn, in command at Pea Ridge, 
371 

Vernon County, invaded by "Jay- 
hawkers," 319-321 ; "Order Number 
Eleven," 382 

Vial, Pedro, journey from New Mexico 
to St. Louis, 188-189 

Vide Poche, 43 

Virginia, plans of the governor of, 
to harass the Enghsh in the Mis- 
sissippi Valley, 22-23; emigration 
from, to Missouri, 74, 288 ; misrule 
of, in Illinois country, 35-36; in- 
fluence of, on Missouri's code, 292 

Wabash Railroad. See North Mis- 
souri Railroad 
Wabaunsee, anti-slavery town, 309 
Wagoner, David, 413 
Walker, J. Hardeman, in, ft. n. i 
War of 1812, 66-73; with Mexico, 

151-165 

Warren County, represented in the 
railroad convention at St. Louis, 230 

Warrensburg, normal school at, 461 

Washington County, formed, 78; 
resolutions from, on the Missouri 
bill, 112; represented in the railroad 
convention at St. Louis, 230 

Washington University, 454-462 

Wayne County, created, 79 

Wealth, taxable, 447 

Weaver, J. B., vote for, as President, 
in Missouri, 437 

Wells, Carty, introduces the "Jackson 
Resolutions," 273, ft. n. i ; replies 
to Benton's "Appeal," 276 

West, condition of the, in 1850, 304; 
Benton's interest in, 281 

Westminster College, 454, 462 

Weston, local aflairs at, 312 

Westport, terminus of the Santa ¥6 
Trail, 200; resolutions on the emi- 
gration of New Englanders to 
Kansas, 311; battle of, 387-390 

"Wet" counties and towns, 464 

Wetmore, Alphonse, 195 

Whigs, attempt to get the vote of 
the Mormons in Daviess County, 
221; origin of, 250; rise in Missouri, 
261 ; oppose the creation of new 
counties in Missouri, 264; issue 
no State ticket in 1844, 265 ; strength 
of, in the legislature in 1844, 268; 
division among, in 1850, 277; elect 



500 



INDEX 



Geyer to the Senate, 277 ; merged 

into the Conservative Unionist 

party, 323 ; cooperation with the 

Democrats in 1868, 418 
Whipping of slaves, 293-204 
Whitfield, elected territorial delegate 

from Kansas by Missourians, 313 
Whitmer, David, Mormon leader, 

219, 220, ft. n. I 
"Wide-awakes," organization of, 340, 

ft. n. I ; arming of, 341, ft. n. i 
Wight, Mormon leader, 215, ft. n. i 
Wilkinson, General, interest in the 

Spanish intrigues in the West, 50 
Willamette Valley, migration of 

Missourians to, 201 
William Jewel College, 454, 462 



William Woods College, 463 
Wilmot Proviso, 269 
Wilson, John, 299 
Wilson, Robert, 393 
Wisconsin, represented in the rail- 
road convention at St. Louis, 235 
Woodson, Silas, 425-426 
Wool, General, 153, 162 

Yellowstone, early steamboat on the 

Missouri, 184-185 
Young, Brigham, succeeds Joseph 

Smith as Mormon leader, 226 
Young, Colonel Sam, 315 

Zinc mining in Missouri, 169, 207— 
208, 446 



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